Tomorrow
by EagleHeart
Summary: The third part of Reno's biography, and the longest. 145 pages, so far, and incomplete. But, it WILL be finished, eventually.


_Tomorrow_

_(Part 3)_

_Staring, out the window,_

_Wondering, will I soon know?_

_The answers to the questions within…_

_Where should I begin?_

_Disillusioned, by a clear winter night,_

_While trying to find some insight._

_The solution is close at hand, _

_but seems so far away…_

_I'll turn the tables round and find another way._

_I'll leave all this behind and move on today._

_I will take things as they come,_

_Look out for number one, _

_And I'll be back tomorrow_

_Feeling strong and brave inside,_

_My head up high with pride,_

_Yes, I'll be back tomorrow._

_I'm facing my nightmares again,_

_Determined that I won't bend._

_The answers are coming to me,_

_I'm learning how to believe._

_I know now, that this is the way,_

_I found my red letter day._

_I've been there, out on a limb,_

_But now, I've finally come in._

_I turned the tables round and found another way._

_I left it all behind, for a better day._

_I will take things as they come,_

_Look out for number one, _

_And I'll be back tomorrow_

_Feeling strong and brave inside,_

_My head up high with pride,_

_Yes, I'll be back tomorrow._

President Shinra touched his fingertips together, observing the man who sat before him, obviously struggling to take in just what had been explained to him.

"You mean to tell me," he began, speaking slowly, "that for thirty years, Hojo has kept two people…two Turks, locked up in stasis?"

Shinra nodded. "We found out just what he's been up to when he became Head of Sciences. They were reported to be MIA some years ago, after going up to Nibelheim to check on they're squad leader. He's gone too, no trace of him. It's a shame really, he had talent…all three of them did, but we've got two back at least."

"You're releasing them?"

"I'm afraid we have little choice. With the problems Shinra is facing with terrorism, the blowing up of Mako reactors, the deaths of so many citizens…oh…I'm sorry, Tseng, it totally slipped my…"

Tseng shook his head. "Never mind, sir…is the company really in such dire straights that we would resort to this?"

President Shinra gave him a strange look. "Well, perhaps not, but we can use all the operatives we can get and we can't just leave the two of them there to rot."

"I suppose not."

--------------------------------------------

The first thing Reno was wholly aware of was complete and utter darkness. The second was that it seemed to take a conscious effort to keep himself breathing. He could actually feel blood rushing through his veins, with more and more force as his vital signs started to pick up. After the first few seconds of mild confusion had faded away and died, they were replaced by sheer and utter panic, as memories of what had happened started to return. In a slight frenzy, his mind raced through the events then suddenly halted as though they'd hit a brick wall as he remembered a gunshot. Then nothing else would surface, no matter how hard he tried. Weakly, he pressed a hand against the blackness in front him, wondering if he was dead and buried. To his surprise (surprise which added nothing to his panic and confusion) the black object moved and flooded his small prison with light. The sudden brightness was blinding, and Reno found himself in the midst of voices and felt a strong pair of hands pull him forward. Until such time, he hadn't been sure as to whether his position was horizontal or vertical, but as he hit the floor painfully, he discovered it had been vertical.

"Easy there!" a voice exclaimed and Reno felt a hand on his back. "God…I expected him to be a bit older…this _boy_ is a Turk?"

"Shinra recruited young in those days," another voice explained. "Hey, are you awake, kid?"

Reno had absolutely no idea what was happening to him. The voices he heard served only to confuse him and when he sensed someone pulling him to his feet again, he lashed out in panic, exalting in the familiar rush of adrenaline when he felt one of his blows strike flesh.

"Dammit!" the first voice yelled as Reno dropped to the floor again, managing a feeble whimper.

"Stop it, all of you," a woman's disdainful voice scolded. "Can't you see you've scared the poor boy out of his wits?"

"Well, then _you _deal with him, Rocky," the man who had sworn grumbled. "Nearly broke my wrist…"

"Suck it up, buttercup," Rocky said sweetly. "Aww…poor thing…" Reno felt a hand gently touch his shoulder. "Hey, can you hear me?"

Still only semi-conscious, Reno moaned and closed his eyes against the brightness.

"Shh…ok, calm down…" Rocky said soothingly, rubbing a hand up and down Reno's back. "Don't worry, it's ok. I know you aren't ready for it right now, but we'll explain things later, all right? Take a couple deep breaths."

Obligingly, Reno inhaled deeply, trying desperately to steady his nerves. He heard his new guardian murmur something to one of the men in the room and felt her hand leave his back for a moment. "W-who…?" he managed to mumble, rolling over and reaching out for her hand, despite the fact that he couldn't see in the still blinding lights.

"Careful now…" Rocky wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gently squeezed his hand. "Don't worry. I promise it'll be ok." She slipped her hand over to his arm and cautiously slipped a needle into one of his veins.

"Ow…" Reno saw the brightness start to fade, replaced by a cool darkness, thankfully devoid of thought.

--------------------------------------------

Tseng followed President Shinra as he headed down the hallway to an obscure room where Hojo supposedly kept his top-secret experiments. He watched, slightly amused as the president knocked lightly on the door. "Can't you just go right in?"

"I wouldn't want to interrupt anything," President Shinra explained, opening the door slowly.

Tseng entered behind his boss, slightly startled at the bright interior of the room where he had been expecting something like a dingy closet like in the horror movies that were so popular.

"Glad you could make it for the unveiling of our newest recruit, Tseng," one of the men joked, nudging the ribs of a young man who lay fast asleep in Rocky's arms.

"Wouldn't miss it. What's his name?" Tseng asked, regarding the youngest or, rather, oldest Turk closely. He didn't look more than twenty-four and he wore only the midnight blue dress pants that hadn't changed even in thirty years, leaving his leanly muscled torso bare.

"Reno," the president supplied. "He was…is…a good Turk. I don't fancy the odds of anyone who had a run in with Hojo in the years past."

"Poor kid…" Rocky murmured sympathetically, brushing some of Reno's dark red hair from his eyes. "Hojo's an asshole."

President Shinra cleared his throat. "Ah…what do you propose we do with him? Tseng, he'll be your responsibility, as will his partner."

"Hmm…" Tseng thoughtfully ran a hand through his long dark hair. "Well…"

"He needs a place to stay," Rocky declared firmly. "Someone oughta find him and his partner an apartment. A nice one."

"How d'you know what's best for him, Rock?" one of the other two dark suited men asked skeptically.

"I got kids of my own," Rocky murmured, giving Reno a gentle hug. "He's just a kid and he's scared. Somebody's gotta look after him."

"Tseng will do it," President Shinra announced, clapping a hand on Tseng's shoulder. "We'll scout around for somewhere he can stay while we get his partner out of storage."

"I'll do my best sir…" Tseng murmured, still studying Reno curiously.

--------------------------------------------

Reno groaned and rolled over, feeling a soft pillow pressed against his face. Groggily, he tried to put together the pieces of precisely what was happening to him. He was in a dark room, but the presence of a bed was rather reassuring and he decided that maybe it had all been an awful nightmare, perhaps the result of too much drinking the night before he and Rude had headed up to Nibelheim. The obscurity of everything that seemed to be happening must have been the result of the conjuring of his drunken imagination. He managed a halfhearted chuckle. Rude would probably be in soon, telling him to get his ass out of bed and get ready to go to Nibelheim. Then after much griping and moaning on Reno's part, they'd get up to the Shinra building, take a quick helicopter ride to Nibelheim and find out that Vincent hadn't been filing reports because he had a girlfriend and they were planning to run away to Costa del Sol and get married. Reno laughed to himself again, the girlfriend was a possibility, but Costa del Sol wasn't.

There was a light knock on the door and Reno smiled in relief, burying his face in his pillow again and deciding that if Rude thought he was going to get him out of bed after he'd had such a wretched nightmare he had another think coming. A sliver of light fell across his face as the door opened a crack.

"Reno?" a voice called softly.

"Mmph," Reno responded.

"Are you awake?"

"No."

"Oh. I guess you don't want to talk to me?"

"I dunno. Do we have to go to Nibelheim?"

There was a pause. "Reno, do you know where you are right now?"

"Midgar…" Reno answered hesitantly.

"Ok, do you know where you are in Midgar?" There was a distinct quality to the voice that made Reno think it might not be Rude.

"Rude's apartment."

"You're in _an_ apartment."

"O…k…" Reno said slowly.

"Most importantly, Reno, do you know _when_ you are?" the voice asked very seriously.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Reno tried very hard to keep the panic out of his voice.

"What's your birthday?"

"Umm…" Reno blushed. "I'm not sure exactly. In March, I think. I don't know the specific day. It's never really come up before."

"March of what year?"

"1873," Reno answered, seriously confused and praying that the speaker was Rude and that he was just playing some stupid mind game.

"Do you know what year it is?"

"Umm…depends how long I've been out," Reno joked weakly. "Any more than six months and it's 1898 and I've missed getting smashed on New Year's."

"Reno, I'm afraid it's been quite a bit longer than that."

"How much longer?" Reno asked warily, half sitting up.

The speaker opened the door all the way and stepped forward into the oblong rectangle of light cast by the doorway. Reno's hopes sank as he realized that this definitely wasn't Rude. The man was tall, with long black hair and distinctly Wutain features. "About thirty years longer. Maybe you should settle back down, son, I've got some pretty hefty things to explain to you."

--------------------------------------------

Reno sat numbly on the couch in the living room of the apartment Tseng had brought him to. He could feel the older Turk watching him, but Reno refused to pay him any attention. Reno closed his eyes for a long moment and rubbed a hand over his face. Reopening his eyes, he noticed his fingers were trembling. "Mister, how old are you?"

"Please call me Tseng. I'm thirty one," he said carefully.

"I'm fifty four. This is goddamnit screwed up. I…was recruited by Shinra when I was twenty-one. I trained for three years and then I graduated. I started working for Shinra and got paired up with…" Reno's eyes widened. "Where's Rude?"

Tseng frowned. "I'm afraid I don't know who you're talking about…"

"Rude! He's really tall and bald and…he wears his sunglasses all the time and he never used to let…he never let his suit get dirty. He always took care of his stuff, I guess 'cuz he was sorta proud of being a Turk…Mister…Tseng…he's not…he can't be…dead…" Reno looked pleadingly Tseng. "C'mon, man, he was like…we were like best friends…"

Tseng was obviously being very cautious about the way he worded things. "He's been MIA for about as long as you have."

"Missing in action is just a nice way of saying 'dead'," Reno quoted dazedly. "What about…" He bit his lip as he realized he was starting to push the limits a little bit. "Do you know of a Turk named Vincent Valentine? Tall, not as tall as Rude, dark hair, really intense, bordering on psychotic…"

Tseng shook his head and smiled. "I've heard of him, but he's long gone. You…knew him?"

Reno nodded; still feeling like all the liquid in his body had turned to lead. "The guy was nuts."

"I've…never heard him described in that manner." Tseng chuckled.

"It's not something I would have told him to his face. So…they're both…dead?"

"Missing in action," Tseng corrected quietly. "There's a big difference."

"No, there isn't. It's just something Shinra tells you when your best friend is dead," Reno spat. "I hate this. Why me?"

Tseng shook his head. "I don't know. I think…maybe it was because you crossed Dr. Hojo."

A slightly frenzied horror grew in Reno's eyes. "Please, for the love of god, tell me _he's_ dead…"

Tseng bit his lip. "No, I'm afraid not…"

Reno looked incredibly nervous. "I…is…he'll leave me alone right? I'm good as dead to him, aren't I?"

"I don't think he'll bother you," Tseng said reassuringly. "Why does he frighten you so much?"

Reno didn't appear to be paying attention, apparently lost in thought. Hand still trembling, he ran his fingers through his hair. His hand slipped unconsciously to his chest, looking for reassurance in the small medallion around his neck, but instead finding a scar, right over his heart. With a long and shuddering sigh, he lifted his head. "Could you…leave me alone for a bit? I've got a lot of…thinking to do…"

"Of course," Tseng answered sympathetically, picking up his jacket. "I'll be back to talk later, ok Reno?"

"Yeah, whatever…" Reno muttered. _"More like I've got a lot of **drinking **to do…" _

As Tseng slipped out of the apartment, Reno stood up and stretched. Resignedly, he started searching the apartment for a bottle of liquor or something. After half an hour of searching with no result, he gave up and decided that if he really wanted to get good and smashed he'd have to venture from the relative safety of the apartment and out to find a bar.

Going to the closet in the bedroom, he opened it up and was quite pleased to find an entire Turk's wardrobe, namely, blue suits and more blue suits. He selected a jacket at random and then pulled Tseng's wallet from his pocket. He grinned to himself as he spun the square of black leather between his fingers. It was nice to know he retained some of his former talents. Tucking it back into his pocket, he tugged on his jacket and exited the apartment, taking the elevator down to the main floor. He kept his head down and didn't look up at the people in the lobby.

As he stepped out of the apartment, he froze, staring around at the sheer immensity of everything around him. Cars sped past, strangely designed, and the buildings towered, touching the sky. Taking a deep breath, Reno headed blindly in one direction, praying he would at some point in time run across a bar. Slightly startled, he caught sight of a familiar sign. "Murphy's…" he murmured to himself, immediately entering the bar. Instead of the once lively and friendly atmosphere, the interior had become dim and almost decrepit; the few patrons sprawled at tables or on the floor, sleeping off the previous evening's hangover.

"Who's there?" a sharp voice demanded.

Reno looked up to see a woman in her late fifties standing behind the bar, glaring at him and polishing a glass with a rather grubby dishrag. Her manner was confident and her features bespoke a beauty that would have made her ravishing in youth. "Just me," he answered quietly, casting his eyes at the floor.

"Oh. Whaddaya want?" she asked, still eying him suspiciously.

Reno stepped up to the bar and sat down. Slowly, he pulled out Tseng's wallet. Opening it, he saw three pictures, one of a beautiful young woman with blonde hair smiling at the camera. Another of a little girl with raven black hair waving and winking at whoever was taking the picture and the last was a small family portrait, the woman, the child, and Tseng all with warm smiles on their faces.

"That _your _family?" the woman asked mockingly.

Reno lifted his eyes and looked at her. "Does it matter?" he asked quietly.

Seeing the sorrow in Reno's teal eyes, she dropped the subject. "What do you want?" she asked in a slightly husky voice.

Reno pulled a handful of bills out of the wallet. "However much this will get me. Do you have anything that will erase the past thirty years?"

The woman nodded, turning to get a bottle from behind the counter. "You look awful good for thirty…"

Reno chuckled bitterly. "You wouldn't believe how good I look."

The woman turned back around with an arched eyebrow. "Are you coming onto me?"

Relieved, Reno drained the shot glass she'd handed him. "Nah. Me, coming onto an old hag like you?"

With a low laugh, the woman refilled his glass. "I like you, kid. You remind me of someone." She proffered her hand congenially. "Name's Stella."

"I'm…Reno…" he answered hesitantly, the urge to spill everything out to a familiar face nearly overwhelming.

"Reno…sounds kinda familiar…" Stella closed her eyes, trying to remember.

"Great. You're a senile old hag."

Stella laughed again. "You take your liquor well, Reno," she remarked, filling his glass a third time. "You don't seem too drunk yet."

"Wait 'til I get going."

--------------------------------------------

Rocky entered the bar and sighed, catching sight of the figure slumped forward at the bar. Softly, she walked up behind him and gently shook his shoulder. Receiving no response, she tugged out her cell phone and quickly dialed a number. "Tseng? I found your recruit…only a block away actually…at Murphy's…Yeah, I'll take care of him. He's smashed out of his skull…Ok…bye Tseng." Rocky sat down beside Reno and rubbed a hand up and down his back. "Reno, wake up…"

"Hell, no. Not if I haven't managed to drink myself back in time." Reno sat up and looked around with bleary eyes. "Nope. Didn't work. Need more to drink I guess."

Rocky shook her head firmly. "No, Reno, that's enough. I don't need you pulling the 'crawl in a hole and die' routine right now. C'mon, we're going home."

"Don't wanna."

"Don't care," Rocky retorted, tugging Reno to his feet. "Did you pay the nice bar lady?"

Stella came out of the back. "Yeah, he did, but you can take the money back. I think it was someone else's anyway. This kid a friend of yours, Rock?"

"Yeah, Mom, he was recruited this morning," Rocky answered carefully, lifting one of Reno's arms around her shoulders.

"Awfully young for a Turk, don't you think?"

Rocky shrugged. "I guess. He's supposed to be pretty good."

Stella handed her daughter some money from the till. "That's about what he took. Make sure Tseng gets it back and tell him that if he gets around to it, he should stop by."

"I will Mom, thanks for not letting him wander off anywhere."

"No problem. Reno, honey, if you ever sober up, come back here and pay for real. You drink enough to put my bar back on the top ten list."

Rocky grinned. "It'll take a while to dry him out, but I'll send him around when he's done."

"Alrighty, Rock. We'll see you later. Take care of yourself," Stella called.

--------------------------------------------

"Ok, Reno, we're home," Rocky said, knocking on the door of his apartment lightly.

Reno mumbled something about not caring.

"Come on, we'll put you to bed and you'll feel better in the morning," Rocky promised as the door opened, revealing Tseng.

"Thank god you found him. Reno, you moron…" Tseng scolded.

"Aww, leave him alone. It's your own fault for letting him wander off," Rocky defended her friend. "Poor kid. It was bound to happen if you dump all this emotional crap on him at once."

"I suppose," Tseng agreed. "Well, stick him in bed, Rock. How much of a hangover will he have tomorrow?"

"If I know Reno, it'll be massive," a quiet voice commented. Reno, only partially conscious and the conscious part thinking about just how badly his head hurt and whether or not it was a bad thing that he couldn't feel his fingers, didn't look up to see the speaker as Rocky helped him stumble to his room and collapse on the bed.

"Sleep tight, Reno," she said gently, exiting and flicking the light off.

--------------------------------------------

With a weak groan, Reno registered that there was light flooding into his room. Feeling around with his eyes closed, he searched for a pillow to pull over his head. Not finding one, he muttered some unintelligible swear words. He heard a low chuckle and suddenly felt a flood of icy cold water soak him to the skin. Yelling every curse he could remember and making up a few in the process, he turned over to see Rude standing over him with a dripping bucket. For a few seconds they stared at one another and then Rude cleared his throat.

"Patented hangover remedy," he explained, holding up the bucket.

"You…I…what the…" Helplessly, Reno started laughing, nearly hysterical. Rude looked at him strangely and then grinned and chuckled.

After catching his breath and managing to calm himself down, Reno sat up and grinned at Rude. "You bastard. I thought you were dead."

"_I'm_ a bastard? _You're _the bastard. I thought _you _were dead."

"Yeah, well…I'm not."

"So? Neither am I."

"I guess we're both bastards," Reno offered.

"Nope. Just you."

Reno laughed again and got out of bed, stretching. "So was this all just some horrible nightmare?"

Rude shook his head. "Nope."

"Damn it."

"Oh well," Rude shrugged. "It could be worse."

"How?"

"We could be dead. What would you like for breakfast?"

"Whatever," Reno shrugged, wringing the water out of his ponytail. "You decide."

"All right." Rude left the room and Reno went into the adjacent bathroom to find a towel. Catching sight of himself in the mirror, the first thing he noticed was the scar over his heart. Jerking his head down, he grabbed a fluffy white towel and exited the room, ignoring the fact that his heart was pounding and by all rights shouldn't have been.

Entering the dining room and scrubbing his hair fiercely to get it dry, covering his face in the process; he managed to walk straight into a wall. "Ouch! Dammit!"

"Look out, Reno, there's a wall there…" Rude commented.

"Glad to see someone's feeling better," Tseng remarked as Reno jerked the towel off his head. The longhaired Turk was sitting at the table, sipping a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper.

"Not really," Reno laughed, wincing. "I'm still hung over as hell."

"You know, there's a remedy for that," Rude commented, coming out of the kitchen and setting two plates in front of Reno and Tseng.

"Yeah?" Hesitantly, Reno took a bite of the omelet that Rude had prepared. "Damn, Rude, I didn't know you could cook."

Rude shrugged. "I picked it up a while ago."

"It's an admirable skill," Tseng agreed, folding his newspaper.

"What's this remedy you mentioned?" Reno asked as the sun that filtered through the window of the apartment stabbed into his head.

"The hair of the dog that bit you."

"What the hell?" Reno quickly checked himself over. "Am I still drunk?

"Are you challenging the effects of Rude's patented hangover remedy?" Tseng countered.

Reno opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again with a click of his teeth. "Touché."

"It's just an expression. Basically, it means that a drink'll clear it up."

"Temporarily," Tseng added. "And if you use it as remedy all the time, it'll make you an alcoholic."

Reno shrugged. "I'm already an alcoholic."

"Oh, you are not," Rude said disdainfully, getting up and going to a wine rack, selecting a bottle of white wine. "This should be good. It's excellent with fish."

"There's fish in this?" Reno lifted his fork and examined a bit of the egg carefully. "I don't like fish, but this is really good…"

"It's the way it's prepared. Most of the fish taste is baked out."

"Huh. So, when do I get my drink?" Reno asked, eyes lighting up.

"Keep your shirt on," Rude scolded, taking a couple crystal wine glasses from the cupboard. Setting them on the table he poured Reno a half glass and Tseng a full one. "Just out of curiosity, Reno, are you still interested in wine tasting?"

"Sure. Hey, Stella still works at Murphy's!" Reno remembered, feeling that Rude should know about it.

"Stella? Oh, Rocky's mother…" Tseng sipped his wine. "She's a nice lady."

"Rocky?" Reno asked, not recognizing the name.

"Her real name is Louise. But her dad always called her Rocky and we took to doing the same."

"Her?" Reno said, trying to keep the interest out of his voice.

Rude glared at him. "A word of warning, Tseng, if you're to be our new squad leader, Reno needs to be kept on a leash around women."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tseng chuckled. "When do you boys think you'll be up for a little tour of Midgar?"

"I'm good right now," Rude commented.

"I could probably handle a short little one…" Reno agreed. "If there's a lady Turk along too…"

"A leash with a choke chain," Rude added to his earlier statement.

"Sorry, no." Tseng shook his head. "We'll head around town."

"Now?" Reno asked, finishing the last of his omelet and draining the wine glass. "Ok, but I have no weapon."

"Oh. Well, Shinra has an extensive armory; we'll swing by and get you something. Would it be all right for you to start with a gun?"

"I wanna nightstick," Reno said stubbornly, pulling on a jacket.

"Not unless you put on a shirt," Tseng retorted critically, looking at Reno's bare chest with disapproval. "Honestly, the company image…"

"Sheesh. What's your problem? My _old_ squad leader didn't care," Reno complained, tugging his jacket off.

"Vincent would have let you walk around in a bumblebee costume. He didn't _care_ because he didn't think the company image was worth preserving," Rude said, grinning.

"I'm still having trouble getting over the fact that you _knew _these people…" Tseng murmured. "I should show you something when we get to Shinra."

"Alrighty." Reno hurried into his room and grabbed shirt from the closet, pulled it on, buttoning one or two of the buttons, and put his jacket on. "All ready."

Tseng sighed. "Fine, Reno, you win…"

"I like winning."

"It happens to him so rarely…" Rude added.

--------------------------------------------

Reno swung the nightstick he'd selected experimentally. He very much liked the sleek, lightweight design, but wondered if it could shock people as well as his old one did. He didn't even know what had happened to his own nightstick. In all honesty, he didn't really miss the old, heavy weapon. It hadn't taken him long to find one he liked in the armory. It was a big room with bright fluorescent lighting and a huge assortment of weaponry. Rude was trying on various metal knuckles, feeling their weights and punching a wall to test the impact.

"Hey, Tseng, is there someone I could test this out on?" Reno asked, twirling the weapon expertly, tossing it up in the air and catching it easily.

"Not some_one_, but something," Tseng pointed to a dummy with a light bulb for a head. "Try shocking that thing."

Obligingly, Reno lashed the figure with his nightstick, delivering a powerful jolt for the second of contact that he managed and that lit the light bulb to max power and then shattered it, showering the room with shards of glass. He lifted his arm in front of his face, just in time to protect himself. "Ow! Dammit!"

"How did you do that?" Tseng asked, evidently surprised. "I've never seen anyone hit that hard before…"

"It's all in the timing. Don't you people know how to properly shock a body?" Reno questioned. "It's like second nature to me…"

Tseng shook his head. "We don't have any people that use the nightstick as a weapon all the time. It's mostly used to stun or paralyze victims."

"That's just the surface of it's potential," Reno sniffed disdainfully. "Rude could probably show you a thing or two about fist fighting, if you're interested."

There was a loud crunching noise as Rude put his fist through the drywall. "Whoops," he murmured sheepishly, withdrawing his fist. "I guess these are good…"

"You two certainly have different techniques…" Tseng remarked. "Did your squad leader teach you?"

"Vincent? Nah, he's…he _was_ a marksman. Never seen a better shot on the face of the planet. What d'you fight with Tseng?"

Tseng went over to a rack and selected a curved blade, a katana. "I confess to being a swordsman. There's something about the elegance of a blade that I enjoy. More finesse than a gun."

Reno chuckled. "Here's where Vincent would throw a fit and tell you exactly what's wrong with the 'hack-and-slash' approach to killing people. He thought there was more of a sophisticated flair with a gun."

"Oh, _yes_," Tseng agreed sarcastically. "Bang. He's dead. How subtle. You can't toy with your enemy if you have a gun…"

"I beg to differ," Rude broke in. "I've seen him mess with people before. He knew where to shoot so as not to kill a person, but rather impair him to the point where he couldn't go attacking."

"Still. I think it's rather crude. Gunslingers are always so stuck up."

Reno laughed. "Good observation. He was an arrogant bastard. I liked him though."

"He had it rough," Rude remarked quietly.

"Yeah…" Reno sighed. "Do you believe he killed himself?"

"Not for a second. He wouldn't have. Hojo shot him," Rude said adamantly.

"You think so?"

"Of course I think so. There's a reason I've got a bullet hole in my back."

Reno shuddered. "I don't wanna talk about this anymore. Let's go…"

"I should show you something first," Tseng said, heading out into the hallway and up a staircase. "There have been a lot of Turks since you guys were recruited. It's shocking just how many have died."

Reno didn't answer as Tseng opened the door to a long narrow room with pictures and plaques along the wall. "What is this place?"

Tseng laughed dryly. "Some people call it the Turks' graveyard. It was established after the war with Wutai and someone put the effort into making epitaphs for the Turks who'd gone before that too. I know a lot of Turks used to write what they wanted on their gravestones."

Silently Reno walked along the walls, looking for pictures of his friends. It scared him how many familiar faces he saw.

Next to a picture of a smiling Trigger with pencils up his nose was the caption: "My face hurts." Obviously, whatever significance it had was lost on Reno, but he found the obscurity funny at least.

Beside a picture of Flick, twirling his nightstick, were the words: "Keep ropin' 'em in, Flicky. Catch you on the flip side, from Poke." Reno marveled that their friendship had kept meaning, even after the exposure of Flick's wholly deceitful nature.

Moving on he saw a painting, rather than a photo, of Sketch, a self-portrait of himself, head down and scribbling furiously on a sketchpad. There were two quotes: "Funny, I always thought I would be first to go-Trig" and "See you in limbo, Sketch. It's a toss up whether I go to hell or be wiped from existence-V.V." Reno found it slightly disturbing how casually death was accepted by the fallen.

A photo of Poke, passed out on the pool table after the company Christmas party made him smile, but he sighed as he looked at the caption. It was simple, a single word, "Father."

Wincing, he came to a picture of Vincent, black and white where all the others had been in vibrant color. As usual, he was a solitary figure, walking away from the camera down a dark alley; most likely unaware the picture was even being taken. "I wish President Shinra longevity and many children, that he may watch those he loves die slowly and painfully," was the blunt subtitle.

"Hey," he beckoned to Rude. "Can you believe they put that up?"

"He hated Shinra," Rude remarked. "You should see what they put for yours."

"For…mine?" Reno felt sick. "That's right…I'm dead, aren't I?"

"Missing in action," Tseng corrected again. "And not missing any more."

"Whatever…" Reno wandered over to the picture on the wall of himself, at a table in a restaurant, toasting the camera with a glass of wine. "They actually put '%$#!' for my caption?"

"You used to say it a lot," Rude shrugged.

"What's yours?"

Rude pointed to a picture of himself, sprawled on a grassy hill in a park, watching clouds. "I think someone was trying to be funny."

"Ooh, look, a likkle bunny?" Reno laughed. "Yeah, they pegged you."

"Are you two done?" Tseng asked. "We have to get going. We're heading down to…"

Tseng was cut off as an earth-shattering explosion rocked the building. The lights blinked off and Reno's first reaction was to curse and make a run for the door, which, as it turned out, was a bad idea as he crashed right into Tseng.

"Reno! Stay still!" Tseng scolded. "The back up generators will be on in a minute…I have a really bad feeling about this…"

The lights flickered on again and Reno pulled himself off the floor. "What the hell was that?"

Tseng stood up and dusted himself off. Before he could answer, his cell phone rang sharply and he answered it. "What?... I knew it…Goddamnit…Avalanche again…we'll be right there sir…" Tseng slammed his cell phone shut angrily. "Let's go."

"Whoa! Hold it, go where?" Reno demanded. "What the hell's going on? What was that? Who's Avalanche?"

Tseng turned to him with an exasperated expression. "It's not important! Now move your skinny, red headed, ass!" Tseng all but ran out of the room with Reno and Rude close behind.

He got into an elevator and jabbed the down button, scarcely waiting for Reno and Rude to get in. "Listen, man, what's going on? If it's an emergency, we have to know what's happening if we're gonna help. So lay it out straight in small sentences so I know who to shock!" Reno shouted, stamping his foot and waving his nightstick heatedly.

Tseng looked up with a slightly sorrowful and wearied expression. "Avalanche is a terrorist group, committed to blowing all the reactors in Midgar. They've recently blown the Sector One reactor. We've tried to track them, but we have too few operatives and too many projects on line to spare too many people. So we don't have many options except to go to the blast site and look to see if they've left any traces."

"Shit…" Reno breathed. "They _blew_ a reactor? How many people would that kill?"

"Dozens," Tseng answered quietly.

"Why in god's name would they blow up a Mako reactor?" Rude asked. "They supply the city with power; they're the only energy source available! When we were first recruited, everyone was switching to Mako…There were only a few places that wouldn't fall…Corel, Wutai, Icicle…"

Tseng sighed. "Things are different now. Too much of a good thing, perhaps. This particular group believes that Mako will drain the Planet of all its energy and leave it withered and dry."

"So what if it will? It's not going to happen in any of _our _lifetimes, so why worry?" Reno muttered as the elevator door opened. "So how do we get there?"

"We take Shinra's private train network. It's about three times faster and more direct."

Reno fell silent as he followed Tseng. He wasn't sure what changes had happened in the past thirty years, but he was pretty sure he wasn't going to like them.

--------------------------------------------

"Shit. Holy shit…" Reno mumbled, staring around, horrified, at the blown up reactor. Here and there, blackened bits of corpses could be picked out from the twisted metal wreckage, but they were mangled too horribly to be identified. Someone had assigned a squad of soldiers the gruesome task of collecting the maimed body parts and placing them in body bags. Swallowing the nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach, he trailed after Tseng who was picking through the ruins carefully, searching for some trace of evidence.

Rude immediately pitched in, tagging after Tseng and kicking through the rubble, like the other members of the militia that had been called to the scene. Reno sat down on a large chunk of rubble and scuffed the tips of his shoes in the dust, trying to take in the horrible event.

"Hey, kid, you ok?" a female voice called out and a dust covered Rocky ambled over to sit beside him.

"Y-yeah…" Reno rubbed a hand at his eyes. "Who in god's name would do this? Why?"

Rocky shook her head sadly and took a long drink from her canteen, splashing water on her face. "Avalanche."

"I'm sick of hearing that goddamn name! Who are they? Do we know anything specific?" Reno got to his feet and started pacing anxiously.

"No, Reno we don't. We don't have the resources to…"

"To find out about a #$&% tiny little group of activists?! What the hell is this? This is _Shinra_, goddamnit!" Reno ran a hand through his hair and threw his nightstick to the ground angrily. "How many people have they killed? And why? So they can satisfy some stupid little guilt trip about 'sucking the life out of the Planet'? Who cares about the Planet?" Reno took a deep breath and his green eyes blazed as he prepared to go on another tirade, but seemed to lose his drive. He sighed and sat down again, burying his face in his hands.

Rocky sat beside him, silent. "It's pretty bad."

"No shit, it's bad," Reno mumbled. "What's happened to this company? I…can't believe we can't do anything about this…"

"Tseng feels the same way," Rocky commented quietly.

"Why?"

"His family was killed by terrorists. Turks aren't popular. One night, they were at home, quiet, peaceful…and a bunch of men broke into their house and beat his wife and daughter to death…He just barely scraped through, but neither of them ever had a chance. Twenty men from the slums with clubs and torches and drunk as hell don't show much mercy."

Reno clenched his hands into fists. "I can't believe that. They all deserve to burn in hell."

"So do you understand?"

"Yeah, I understand, but I don't get why all we can do is root around in the rubble, looking for…"

There was a joyful shout from somewhere by the entrance of the reactor. Rocky leapt up and ran over with Reno on her tail. Rude had pried up a piece of rubble and Tseng was kneeling on the ground, studying a computer printout with almost hungry eyes.

Rude dropped the chunk of debris with a bang and peered excitedly over Tseng's shoulder. "What is it?"

"Yeah, what?" Reno demanded.

Tseng was silent, studying the paper. For a long moment there was utter silence and Reno glanced up at the sky, shocked at the brilliant blue that could show itself after such a tragedy. As if to mock him, a lark flew past, singing joyously.

"Reactor Five…" Tseng murmured, half whispering. "They hit Reactor Five!" he exclaimed, voice growing stronger. "Tomorrow, it says right here!"

Rocky let out an exultant whoop and tackled Tseng, laughing. "We'll nail 'em!"

Reno grinned and slapped Rude on the back. "Way to go!"

Rude flushed. "Tseng saw the paper…I just lifted the rock…"

Tseng sat up, shoving Rocky off and grinning. "We couldn't have got it without you, Rude."

Rude blushed a deeper shade of red and mumbled something. "So now what?"

"We've got plans to make; I have to tell President Shinra…that other mission can…" Tseng's face fell, "…not wait. Damn it!" Getting up, he crumpled the printout and stuffed it in his pocket. "Damn it…unless…Reno, I know this is a lot to ask, but…"

"What?" Reno questioned.

"Do you think you could handle this mission on your own?" Tseng asked pleadingly.

"On…my own?" Reno repeated, slightly startled. "No squad?"

"You'd get a squad of soldiers," Tseng said hastily. "It's not a hard job at all, but we'll be occupied with the Sector Five reactor, so we can't spare anyone. Now, there's this little church…"

--------------------------------------------

Sulkily, Reno made his way through the Sector Six slums, towards a small chapel, renowned for the fact that it was the only place beneath the plate where vegetation grew. Glancing over his shoulder at the half dozen clumsy soldiers he had been allotted, he scowled and shoved his hands in his pockets. _"Stupid Shinra. I wanted to go beat Avalanche…"_

"Get your worthless asses moving!" Reno yelled over his shoulder.

"Yes, sir! Sorry, sir!" one of the soldiers called mockingly, saluting smartly while the others snickered behind his back.

"Lighten up, man, he's just a new recruit," a burly looking sergeant called, casting a disdainful glance at Reno, who was the youngest one there. "Still growing into his suit."

With a cold smile, Reno stopped, turned around, and strode into the middle of the squad of soldiers. "Very funny, aren't we, Sergeant?"

"I'd like to think so, _sir_," the man retorted, coolly looking down at Reno.

"Tell me, what is the distinction between a Turk and a normal member of Shinra's militia?"

"Turks are…more…expensive?"

"More stuck up?" a voice murmured.

"Bigger jack asses?" another called, not bothering to hide his disdain.

"Wrong," Reno smiled and electrocuted the sergeant without batting an eye. The men screamed and writhed, smoke starting to seep from the spot on his chest where Reno had pressed his nightstick. Finally, Reno grew bored and gave the man a push backwards with his weapon, sending him to the ground in a twitching heap, even though he was long dead. "Turks don't need good reasons to kill people."

Leaving his "squad" behind to deal with the convulsing remains of their friend, Reno looked up at the plate above. _"What a wretched place to live…"_

Suddenly, there was an explosion that rocked the entire sector and hurled Reno from his feet. Dust and debris clouded his view, but when it cleared he got up and yelled at his squad again. "Come _on_! Good god, you people…that was the signal, morons!"

Sighing angrily, Reno started towards the church, recalling what Tseng had told him. He was to capture "Aeris Gainsborough", she wasn't to be harmed, and he was supposed to be as diplomatic as possible. He stopped in his tracks and went over the statement again. It was almost word for word identical to the mission that he, Rude, and Vincent had been given so many years ago. Reno shook off the parallels as coincidence and continued towards the church. He entered to see a young woman in a pink dress and carrying a staff standing next to a young man with what was unmistakably a SOLDIER uniform.

Idly, Reno glanced over his shoulder and, seeing his squad hadn't arrived, looked up to study a stained glass window. The conversation between Aeris and her companion halted. "Hey, mister…" the young man called, starting up the aisle between the broken pews.

"Don't mind me!" Reno answered, offering a maliciously innocent look. "Just admiring some…'classic' stained glass…"

"Cloud…" Aeris called, beckoning to her companion. With a suspicious glare at Reno, Cloud walked back over to Aeris and leaned forward as she whispered something in his ear. With a quick nod from Cloud and a giggle from Aeris, he moved to stand in front of her protectively.

"Why look, it's the cavalry…" Reno murmured as his squad of soldiers entered the church. "Ms. Gainsborough, I have orders to take you into custody…"

"I don't want to," Aeris protested, snaking a hand through Cloud's arm and squeezing his bicep reassuringly.

"Let's go, Aeris," Cloud said, eying Reno coldly with strangely glowing eyes.

Reno met Cloud's stare with one of his own. _"Mako…"_ Reno's thoughts flickered back to when he'd first been exposed to Mako. Turks, as they were not normal members of Shinra's army, nor members of the elite SOLDIER, were not as heavily dependent on Mako as it made them more noticeable. Reno's teal eyes had a distinct green glow to them, but because of their color, it was shrugged off as simply coincidence. He knew that Rude had been exposed to higher levels of Mako due to his size and that his eyes glowed like blue gems, hence he always wore sunglasses. He shuddered at the way Vincent's eyes had looked, brown most of the time, tinged a deep, Mako red when he was angry or there was an adrenaline surge. He remembered the strangely cold, but at the same time burning sensation he'd felt as the Mako washed over his body, infusing him with the energy of the Planet.

"I'm afraid not. Come along, Ms. Gainsborough." Reno stepped forward, just as Aeris squeaked and scurried to the back of the church and through a door with Cloud close behind.

Finally noticing, one of the soldiers gave a cry of "Seize the Ancient!" and dashed past Reno with his fellows on his heels.

With a groan, Reno ran after them cursing, but not arriving in time to stop the soldiers from firing at Cloud and Aeris who had climbed to the church rafters and were making for a hole in the roof.

Aeris screamed and fell from the rafters, landing less than gracefully on the bottom floor. Reno swore again and electrocuted the nearest soldier to try and vent some anger. Thankfully, he noticed she hadn't been seriously injured; just a little bruised and scraped.

"Cloud!" she cried helplessly as one of the soldiers started to advance.

"Wait just a second, Aeris!" Cloud yelled back, hurling a barrel off one of the rafters and dropping it square on the soldier that had started to come forward.

"Thanks, Cloud!" Aeris ran over to a staircase and was met by another soldier, who Cloud also smashed, then dashed up the stairs and climbed higher to rejoin Cloud. As the pair dashed across the rafters Cloud paused and knocked over another barrel.

"Shit!" Reno dove out of the way as the heavy projectile slammed into yet another soldier. He looked up to see Cloud and Aeris disappear through a hole in the roof. "Dammit!" Raging, he exited the church and reluctantly headed for the nearest train station, looking to get back up to Midgar.

--------------------------------------------

Reno stormed into Tseng office and slammed his nightstick down on the desk, sitting down in the chair in front of his superior angrily.

Tseng looked up from the papers he was leafing through and frowned. "I take it things didn't go well?" he asked mildly.

"%$#! That stupid…what in the hell has happened to this #%$&# company!? I was just beaten by a flower girl! Due to the sheer incompetence of the 'squad' you gave me…a squad of what? Clowns? No, clowns follow orders. These…these…_jackasses_ did absolutely nothing to help! Lucky for you, the majority of them were…disposed of. God _damn_ it!" Reno finished his rant, breathing heavily and eyes gleaming with anger.

"Oh well. We'll get her next time," Tseng shrugged.

"Tseng, I have _never _failed a mission before! I…did I do something wrong?" Reno asked in a slightly pained voice.

"No, Reno. Not at all," Tseng answered reassuringly. "I've been after Aeris for years now. She's got a knack for slipping out of my grasp."

"Yeah…well…there was an ex-SOLDIER with her."

"Really? How…interesting. There was an ex-SOLDIER with Avalanche today…"

"Blonde, spiky hair?" Reno guessed.

"That's the guy. What did you make of him?" Tseng asked casually.

Reno rubbed the back of his head. "Pretty good, I guess. Wouldn't be hard to bring him down with a _proper_ squad…meaning no soldiers. Professionals. "

"Good. Well, I have another mission for you."

"Just me?" Reno sighed.

"You can handle it. It's very simple. All I need you to do is go to the Sector Seven pillar and activate a certain device. It won't be hard."

"That's it?" Reno asked skeptically. "Sounds too easy."

"What's wrong with easy?"

"Easy is never good."

--------------------------------------------

Reno opened the door to the penthouse apartment and entered the darkened foyer. Rude was sprawled on the leather couch, listening to soft classical music in the dim candle lighting.

"Hello, Reno," Rude said pleasantly as his partner collapsed in an armchair. "How was your day?"

"Crappy," Reno grumbled. "Just awful. I failed my first mission."

"I wouldn't sweat it," Rude said nonchalantly. "I don't think President Shinra cares about us as much any more. We aren't the elite tactical strike force we used to be. Now we're a handful of murderers, spies, and kidnappers. I think we may have entered the Dark Age for Turks…"

"Dammit. This is all Hojo's fault…"

"Yeah, well…what can we do? Not much. So suck it up and try not to get yourself killed."

Reno grinned. "Good advice, I guess. Hey, we got anything to drink?"

"I would recommend a light Chardonnay."

Reno looked blank as he went over by the wine rack. "Which one's that?"

"Third row, fourth from the left."

"Oh." Reno selected the bottle. "You wanna drink?"

"Sure, why not?"

Reno grabbed a couple glasses. It hadn't taken them long to get used to the large apartment and it was definitely spacious enough for them to keep out of each other's ways. During the free time they had, Reno and Rude were relearning everything they'd learnt when they were first recruited, adapted to the time that they had been placed in.

Pouring Rude a glass and handing it to him, Reno sat down in an armchair and lifted his glass. "To…umm…I dunno. Rude, you choose."

Rude closed his eyes, apparently thinking of a toast. "To Avalanche. And the fun we'll have beating information out of them."

With a grin, Reno tilted his glass and took a long drink. "Yeah. So what'd you do today?"

"Tseng introduced me to a new recruit," Rude said absently, swirling the wine in his glass.

"Yeah? What's his name?"

"Her."

"Huh?"

"You mean, 'what's _her_ name?'" Rude corrected.

Reno swallowed a little more wine. "Her, eh? She pretty?"

"I guess," Rude shrugged.

"C'mon, man, if she's hot, tell me! I don't wanna waste my time chasing a dog."

Rude gave Reno an odd look. "She's not a dog."

"Humor me, I'm trying to get drunk," Reno retorted. "So is she?"

"Is she what?"

"Is she pretty, dumb ass?" Reno had a feeling that the bald Turk wasn't telling him something.

"I said, 'I guess'," Rude answered, rubbing a hand over his scalp. "Her name's Elena."

"Hmm. Dull enough name." Reno studied his friend. "You like her, don't you?" he asked shrewdly.

"I guess. She seemed like a nice person…"

Reno smacked himself in the forehead. "God, you're thick. I mean do you _like _her?"

Rude gave him a confused look through his sunglasses. "What do you mean, do I _like_ her?"

"Do you have the hots for little Ms. Elena?"

Rude shrugged. "I don't know. She's nice and she's pretty."

"You're a rock, you know that? A rock. A big, fat, heavy, emotionless rock."

"So I'm a rock. So what?"

Reno sighed. "There's more to life than being a rock. Well, if _you _aren't interested in throwing yourself at Elena, I will."

"You do, and I kill you."

Delightedly, Reno laughed. "Ha! Even rocks have to break sometime!"

"Shut up, Reno."

--------------------------------------------

Anxiously, Reno collapsed, unfolded, and re-collapsed his nightstick as he and Tseng flew over the lower sectors under the plate of Midgar, towards Sector Seven. He liked the design of the weapon, it was segmented and tapered, so each segment folded into another, until only the handle was left, small enough to fit in Reno's pocket. Unfolding it again, he fiddled with the dials, unaware that Tseng was watching him curiously.

"Nervous?" Tseng asked, chuckling as Reno jumped and dropped his nightstick.

"Me? Nervous?" Reno laughed uneasily as he scooped the weapon up and folded it up again. "How can you even ask that? Of course I'm nervous. I'm extremely tightly wound right now."

"Don't worry about it, you'll do fine." Tseng handed him a small device with a red button on top. "This is the decoder. Your objective is to insert it into a slot in the control panel."

"Yeah? Is that it?" Reno asked, pocketing the gadget.

"That's all you need to know," Tseng stated simply and passed him a watch. "It will take the decoder a little while to get into the system. During that time, you guard it with your life, because those few minutes are when it's most vulnerable. Even a novice hacker could get past it and if these Avalanche people have an ex-SOLDIER with them, he would have no trouble. This watch will sound when the device is armed. That's your cue to exit. The helicopter will be standing by so we can make a clean getaway."

"Ok. I can do this," Reno said, half to Tseng and half to himself, painfully remembering the last time he'd botched a mission.

"I know you can." Tseng looked out the window. "Sort of strange to be flying in a completely closed in environment…"

"Yeah," Reno agreed, looking out and seeing the walls of the lower Sectors whip by.

"I'm so glad to live on the upper plate," Tseng sighed. "It's such a hellhole down here."

"I know." Reno sighed as he caught sight of the Sector Seven pillar, at the top, he could see a firefight was raging between Shinra soldiers and a solitary figure. "What the hell?"

"Dammit! Avalanche again…I guess they got through our defenses…" Tseng groaned. "Well, you can take him Reno. Don't worry about it, the decoder won't take long at all."

"Right…" Reno murmured.

"That's the spirit. Now, get out there and get ready to jump over to the landing at the top of the pillar. Good luck, Reno."

Reno nodded, trying to swallow the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. _"Ok, stop this! You're a **Turk**, goddamnit!" _Steeling himself and grinning cockily, he stepped out of the helicopter's cockpit onto the platform on the side of the helicopter. His heart sank a little as he saw two figures rushing up the stairway, one blonde and muscular, wielding an enormous sword, the other smaller and more feminine, hurling soldiers off the stairway with vicious kicks. As the helicopter neared, they reached the top and waved at their comrade, a big black man with a gun grafted onto his right arm in place of a hand.

"They're attackin' from the chopper!" the black man informed his comrades, turning to fire at the helicopter.

Reno flinched, but then stood up straight again, wincing only slightly as one or two bullets struck him, the Mako in his body glowing unseen in the air around him and nullifying their effect. With athletic ease, he leapt from the helicopter and landed gracefully on the platform, running over to the control panel and quickly inserting the computer into a slot.

With a startled oath, the black man lumbered over, raising his gun arm.

"Don't bother!" Reno shouted. "Once I press this button…" True to his word, Reno jammed the switch and the entire control panel lit up. "Hah! Mission accomplished!"

"Cloud, make it stop!" the girl cried.

Reno turned around to face the three, smirking brashly and flicking his wrist to extend his nightstick again. "I'm afraid I can't allow that. It's very poor protocol to stand in the way of the Turks."

With a yell, the black man released a hail of bullets from his weapon, several of which actually struck Reno, activating the Mako. "Go t' hell, Turk!"

"Hell? Oh, I don't know that I'd enjoy hell. Besides, you're the ones who deserve to burn," Reno spat, dodging a swipe from Cloud's sword and smacking the blonde hard with his nightstick. The Mako aura around Cloud flared as Reno's blow contacted his side. Gritting his teeth, Reno decided to try and concentrate on doing damage to the other two.

"How could you? You…you murderer!" the girl demanded, lifting her arms. The air around Reno grew red-hot and flames licked at his body. Wincing, he could feel the strength of the shield around him start to fade, just barely, but it was beginning. Angrily, he lashed the young woman with his nightstick, feeling a great deal of satisfaction as she winced and cried out.

"Tifa!" the black man cried, raining bullets on Reno again. "You slime!"

"I…I'm all right, Barret," she assured him, voice growing stronger. "You'll pay for that!" Concentrating for a moment, Tifa closed her eyes and then pumped a fist in the air, shouting, "Yeah!" Dashing forward, she slammed her fists into Reno's stomach, causing him to groan and double over, stumbling back as she brought her knee up to strike his chin.

"Dammit!" Reno backed off a ways as Cloud reentered the battle, Mako eyes glowing coldly. "So you wanna try a Turk on for size, eh SOLDIER?"

"The Turks were never a match for SOLDIER," Cloud said disdainfully, directing a vertical cut at Reno. It struck the Mako aura around him, but Reno felt the blade also slice his flesh lightly, across the shoulder as the shield started to wane further.

Forcing a grin, Reno laughed. "Oh, we were more than a match. But that was before your time…" Spinning a dial on the end of his nightstick with his thumb, Reno charged Cloud and pressed the weapon to his throat, shocking him.

Startled, Cloud stumbled back and dropped to his knees.

"Cloud!" Tifa exclaimed, closing her eyes again. "Cure!" A whitish aura surrounded Tifa and extended to envelop Cloud as well.

"Thanks." Cloud got back to his feet and Reno felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as Cloud gravely raised his sword and started focusing his energy.

Closing his eyes and clenching his teeth, Reno tried to converge all the Mako in his body to prepare for Cloud's next attack. Snapping his eyes open, he braced himself as Cloud's sword slashed, once, twice, and a third time, accompanied by a blinding flash of light as his shield vanished. Stifling a low cry, Reno staggered back and stared in slight horror at the blood blossoming in a cross on his white shirt. He could feel his ribs were at the very least fractured and Barret made matters only worse by showering him with bullets again. Mako shield dissolved, even the few that did graze him and the one that got his shoulder were near deadly. Dazedly, he slipped sideways, dropping to one knee. Looking up, he saw Cloud holding his bloodstained blade uneasily, not trusting that Reno was as badly injured as he appeared. Tifa's eyes were filled with what could almost be called pity, but Barret's eyes burned a cold black. "Finish 'im, Cloud."

Dimly, as Cloud slowly walked forward, Reno registered a faint beeping and a dull thudding sound. Glancing at his wrist, he saw the watch that Tseng had given him was the source of the noise. "Sorry to…break this up, but I've got a pressing appointment elsewhere." Summoning the last of his strength, he grinned and got to his feet, pushing past Tifa as he ran to the edge and vaulted over the railing. It hardly occurred to him as he fell that the throbbing noise might _not_ have been the helicopter, but he was too relieved to land on the platform attached to the side. The chopper swerved unsteadily, then stabilized as the pilot shouted something to the passengers inside.

"Reno!" Tseng came out of the helicopter cockpit and caught the younger Turk as he tumbled forward. "My god…hang on, Reno, there's something I have to take care of…" Taking a moment to help his friend stumble inside and sink to the ground, Tseng roughly barked orders at the pilot.

"Bring this thing up and around! I've got a few things I'd like to say to Avalanche…" Kneeling down, Tseng squeezed Reno's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, Reno, you'll be ok…"

Still only half-conscious, it was all Reno could do to nod and look sideways at the figure huddled in the corner of the chopper. Trembling and green eyes filled with tears, Aeris met Reno's gaze for a few seconds then turned her head away as Tseng pulled her out onto the platform.

Reno groaned weakly as he heard more gunfire outside, the noise fading in and out of his awareness, suddenly stopping and voices taking up the rising and falling sound in the back of his mind. Time seemed to be slowing down and speeding up as well, at times he was aware of the wholeness of a second, and at times the moments seemed to fly past. He felt the helicopter move beneath him and heard Tseng reenter the cockpit, gently pushing a weeping Aeris into one of the passenger seats.

"Reno? Reno, can you hear me?" Tseng asked seriously, kneeling down and shaking his shoulder again. "Come on, Reno…" Explosions echoed outside the chopper, the noises growing dimmer as the vehicle flew farther and farther away.

"Tseng…am…am I gonna die?" Reno mumbled, meeting Tseng's eyes fearfully.

Trying to relieve some of the pressure, Tseng forced a laugh. "Of course not, Reno, don't be stupid…"

"Did I…I did good, right?"

"Yes, Reno, of course…" Tseng answered reassuringly.

"I'm gonna kill that SOLDIER…" Reno said decisively.

"Yeah, I know you will Reno."

With a shuddering gasp, Reno closed his eyes, fingers of one hand tightly gripping the leather handle of his nightstick.

Tseng sighed. "Aeris, I hate to do this…"

Aeris was weeping near hysterically, looking back through the window as Sector Seven slowly collapsed.

"Aeris, please…"

"No…no, Tseng…a whole _sector_! All the lives! There were innocent people back there!" Aeris sobbed, beating her hands against the glass weakly.

"I'm sorry, Aeris." There was sincere regret in Tseng's voice. "Put it out of your mind right now, please. I…_he_…needs your help."

Looking up, Aeris's tearstained face registered shock. "You want me…to… to…help…him? No! I can't! I won't! He…he just killed hundreds of people!"

"Yes, Aeris, I know. I know it, you know it, but he doesn't. He's only conscious of his objective, if even that. All he knows he did was follow orders. I made sure he didn't know what the device I gave him did, so he's not even aware of the ramifications. He wouldn't have done it if he had known what would happen. And Shinra would have shot him for that. So I couldn't tell him."

"I don't care! I won't do it!" Aeris protested vehemently.

For a second Tseng's feature's hardened. "Aeris, we can do this the easy way or we can do it the hard way. I asked nicely, now do it."

Aeris stared up at her captor in shock and burst into tears again, covering her face with her hands and shrinking away fearfully.

Tseng sighed and passed a hand over his eyes, looking suddenly far older than his years. He stood up, laying a hand on her shoulder, his friend's blood darkening the red fabric of her jacket. "Aeris…Aeris, I'm sorry. I just…please…I don't want him to die…"

"He…he deserves to die," Aeris mumbled weakly, looking at Tseng's bloodstained fingers out of the corner of her eye.

"Does anyone deserve to die?" Tseng asked sadly, seeing that the young woman's resolve was starting to wane. "He's in a lot of pain right now. Please, Aeris. It wasn't him. It was me, getting my dirty work done with someone else's hands. I would have done it myself, believe me, but…"

"But what?" Aeris asked.

"Never mind."

"I won't help him unless you tell me," Aeris said firmly, displaying a surprising amount of independence.

"Fine. Him first."

"You promise you'll tell me?"

"Yes, Aeris, I promise. Please…"

With a sigh, Aeris moved to where Reno lay and knelt down, gently taking Reno in her arms. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just make him a little more comfortable."

Aeris rummaged in the canvas bag she carried at her side, setting out various bottles and bandages. "Cloud and Tifa did this to him…"

"Yeah. Poor kid was thrashed. I didn't expect there to be more than one of them…" Tseng laid a hand on the bloodstained "X" that crossed Reno's chest. "And I definitely didn't expect the SOLDIER to show up…"

"Ex-SOLDIER," Aeris corrected, selecting a vial and carefully unbuttoning Reno's shirt. He winced and groaned as she peeled back the sticky, bloodstained fabric. "Shh…" she whispered reassuringly.

"Who…?" Reno's eyes flickered open and focused on Aeris. "I know you…"

"Sort of. As I recall, the last time we met, you were trying to kidnap me…" Aeris answered, uncorking the small bottle and pouring some of the oil inside onto her palm. "Now, this might sting a little, but I made it myself from the flowers in my church. It has very strong healing properties."

"Whatever." Reno closed his eyes again as he felt her hand gently moving up and down his chest. "You know…this could be an…interesting situation…if I were better and the chopper were a hotel room…and if you were wearing fewer clothes"

"Reno…" Tseng said warningly as Aeris blushed. "Shut up."

"Sorry, Tseng…" Reno mumbled, closing his eyes again. After a moment, he reopened them and gave the young woman a strange look. "Aeris, this may sound crazy, but I think I may have known your mother…you look very much like her, y'know?"

Aeris looked up at Tseng, thoroughly confused. "Tseng, what's he talking about?"

"Ignore him," the dark haired Turk said quickly. "He's in rougher shape than I thought." Kneeling down, he laid a hand on Reno's forehead, concentrating for a moment. Reno's eyes slipped shut and his head lolled onto his shoulder.

"What did you do? You didn't hurt him, did you?" Aeris asked, sounding concerned, even though the young man she held in her arms was technically an enemy.

"No, he's all right. Just asleep," Tseng assured her, sighing. "I'm sorry, Reno."

"You said you would tell me why you made him…blow up the pillar, instead of you," Aeris said, almost accusingly.

Tseng stood up and turned his back on Aeris, lowering his head. "I…Aeris, have I ever told you about my family?"

"No, I don't think so. What were they like?"

Tseng smiled to himself. "My wife was beautiful. Her name was Amaya. I know she didn't like what I did, but she respected that I helped protect Midgar. I had a little girl too. Her name was Merisel. She didn't know what I did for a living. She just thought her daddy was a businessman. She died thinking that."

"Tseng, I'm sorry…" Aeris murmured.

"Why? Did you know who the scum were that broke into my home and slaughtered my family? The only two people who meant anything to me were beaten to death. I wish they'd killed me too."

"What does this have to do with Reno?"

"It's always been a dream of mine to crush the slums and kill the horrid people who took my family from me. I dreamed of pressing that button and collapsing the plate on the worthless trash underneath." Tseng sighed. "But I couldn't. I remembered how Amaya was always so disappointed in me and how Merisel didn't know that I was a murderer. I didn't think I could handle the guilt of killing hundreds of people, even if they did slaughter my family."

"So you had him do it?" Aeris said softly.

"Yeah. I…I just couldn't live with my daughter knowing that I did something like that. I don't know if I believe in heaven and hell, but if my daughter is watching, I don't want her to have the knowledge that her father is a mass murder."

"So rather than live with the guilt of killing hundreds of people, you live with the guilt of forcing that blame on Reno?"

Tseng flinched. "Aeris, please... I feel lousy enough already," he murmured in a strained voice. "I don't understand why you people see us as any less human than yourselves."

"We see little to no emotion from you, other than cruel joy in the pain of others and exultation at the triumphs of Shinra."

Tseng laughed. "The triumphs of Shinra. I've never met a Turk who didn't loathe Shinra for all its worth. Turks bleed just like you and your Avalanche friends do, Aeris. Turks bleed, Turks feel pain, and Turks die."

--------------------------------------------

Reno woke up screaming and soaked with an icy cold sweat. Memories swirled and blended together, dark freezing water met a feverish sensation, both associated with the horrible feeling that he couldn't breathe. He remembered noises, the rapid staccato of Barret's machine gun, suddenly stopped by a single gunshot, louder than the rest. Images of Hojo's leering face, Cloud's bloodstained sword, and the look of pity in Tifa's eyes swam in front of him, all intangible, but at the same time harshly real. Every muscle in his body felt torn and every bone felt broken. He was in a dark room with a bright light shining in from the hallway. A shadow suddenly obscured the light and Reno felt strong, gentle hands pushing him back down onto a bed. "Easy, son... come on now, don't move too much or you'll hurt yourself... Noreen, get Dr. Williams in here, I think the poor boy's having a reaction to the painkillers... "

Still in a slightly frenzied state, trembling and almost wholly unaware of what was going on around him, Reno whimpered and weakly clasped the arm of the being that held him pinned to the bed. "Please don't go away... "

"Shh…calm down, now, it's all right... " the voice said, soft and comforting. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere... "

Desperately, Reno tried to make out a face to match the voice. Latching on to the first familiar recognition he could manage, he lifted his green eyes accusingly to meet the eyes of his captor. "You left before."

"What?" the voice, though still gentle, was slightly confused.

"You left me. I was just little and you went away. I was scared and I was hurt and I didn't know what was happening, but you went away anyways. You left me all alone, Sis... "

"I'm not... " the voice paused, changing its tone from confused to understanding. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Why did you go before?" Reno demanded, slightly relaxed now that he was in the company of someone he knew.

"I... I had to go. I'm sorry."

"It was hard when you left... Mom was gone and Dad was gone... and no one cared about me... "

The voice was silent and Reno heard footsteps in the corridor. Another shadow stepped in front of the doorway. "What's this about a reaction?" a man's voice asked.

"I think his system is rejecting the drug you told us to give him to kill the pain he's in. Poor thing's completely disoriented and half delusional. He thinks I'm his sister... "

Reno felt the hand that held him pressed against the bed move away and panicked, crying out in pain as he started to sit up and felt a tearing sensation in his chest.

"Hold it there, boy," a firm voice spoke, pushing him back down again. "Well, it's no wonder he reacted! Look at his eyes, that's Mako if I've ever seen it. Why didn't someone tell me this kid was in SOLDIER?"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Williams, but he was just dropped off here with no information besides the fact that he was severely injured."

"Not…SOLDIER," Reno mumbled, feeling the need to correct the doctor's mistake.

"What was that?" Dr. Williams asked kindly. "Come on, boy, speak up…"

"I'm not…not from SOLDIER. I'm a Turk…" Reno gasped as the doctor gently prodded his ribs.

"A Turk, eh? Well, don't you worry, we'll have you patched up in no time…it's remarkable what Mako can do. Already you're starting to heal. Now, this will sting a bit, but it will help you sleep, all right?"

Reno sighed and closed his eyes as the doctor pressed a needle into his arm, sinking into the cool blackness thankfully.

--------------------------------------------

Reno looked up hopefully as there was a light knock on his door, wishing, almost praying, that the visitor would be Tseng or Rude. He hadn't seen either of them in nearly a week and was beginning to feel slightly resentful and definitely lonely. Still hopeful, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and watched the door of his private room expectantly.

"Good morning, Reno," a pleasant voiced nurse in her mid thirties called, entering the room.

"I guess…" Reno sighed, sinking back against the pillows in his bed.

"Come now, the sun is shining, there's a delightful breeze and the birds are singing…"

"And I'm stuck in the hospital," Reno finished, folding his arms across his chest as the nurse approached with a pair of scissors and a fresh length of gauze. "Is outside news infectious or something? I've got absolutely no idea what's going on…"

The nurse laughed and tugged at Reno's wrist. "Move your arms, dear."

"Nuh uh."

"Now, Reno," she said firmly.

"Don't wanna."

"If you don't do it yourself I'll sedate you, understood?"

With a sigh, Reno let his arms drop to his sides and leaned forward, letting the nurse gently cut through the bandage wound tightly around his torso and wincing slightly as she pulled the fabric away.

"That's healing really well…" the nurse observed, taking a moistened square of cloth and carefully cleaning the old blood off the wound. "If your ribs and shoulder are doing as nicely, you'll be out of here by the end of the week."

"Joy and rapture," Reno muttered, gritting his teeth. "I'm only healing so good because of the Mako."

"Mako?" the nurse questioned.

"Turn off the light, please," Reno directed, pulling shut the blinds of the window right beside his bed.

Obligingly, the nurse flicked the switch by the door and plunged the room into pitch darkness and gasped.

Eyes focusing sharply, Reno concentrated and could see every part of the room in clear detail, as though the light were still on.

"Y-your eyes!" the nurse exclaimed, obviously seeing the green glow that emanated from Reno's eyes.

"That's nothing. Look very closely at the wound in my chest." Reno looked down and saw the edges of the "X" glowing a faint Mako green.

The light blinked on again and Reno saw the nurse looking at him with a slightly wide-eyed expression. "Umm…you're a member of SOLDIER?"

Reno shook his head. "No, I'm a Turk."

"But Shinra stopped using Mako on Turks years ago," the nurse protested.

"I'm special."

The nurse fell silent as she returned to re-bandaging Reno's chest, looping the gauze around his torso securely. Tying it off tightly, she patted Reno's shoulder. "Well, that's it for today. I'll see you later tonight, Reno."

"Yeah…" With a heavy sigh, Reno lay back in bed, closing his eyes and preparing to fall into a fitful sleep.

--------------------------------------------

"Reno?"

"Mmph." Reno reached out and pulled the blankets over his head.

"Hey, come on, Reno, wake up."

"Hell, no," Reno mumbled, still half asleep. The voice was familiar, but he was too busy sulking to want to get up and find out who it was.

"Maybe we should come back later…" a female voice suggested tentatively.

Immediately, Reno opened his eyes and turned his head, rather surprised to see Tseng, Rude and a young blonde woman he didn't recognize.

"Well, look who decided to grace us with his consciousness," Rude said sarcastically, grinning at Reno.

"Hey, Rude…" Reno smiled, deciding to generate some sympathy and act a bit worse off than he really was. Feigning effort, he rolled over and started to sit up.

"Take it easy, Reno, you were in pretty bad shape…" Tseng cautioned, helping Reno sit up and lean back against the pillows of the bed.

"Nah, I'm ok…" Idly, Reno laid a hand on his bandaged chest and winced. "Why haven't you guys been in to see me?"

"We have been, but things have been hectic and we usually caught you when you were either out cold or semi-delusional," Rude explained, punching Reno's shoulder lightly.

"Oh. Fair enough. How do you mean 'hectic'?" Reno asked, sliding his hands behind his head.

Tseng sighed. "Hectic. Insane. Just god awful."

"Why is that? And, before I forget, who is that?" Reno jerked his head at the blonde who smiled shyly.

"This is Elena," Tseng answered, giving Elena a little nudge forward.

"Pleased to meet you," she said bashfully. "I'm Elena…umm…but you already know that. Reno, right? You were bashed up pretty bad, weren't you? Does your chest hurt? Rude said you'd be ok, 'cause you're tough, but I was worried anyway. I just got recruited last week, so I'm pretty new, but Tseng's been very nice to me. How long have you been a Turk? Rude says you and him are partners and that you've been Turks for a long, long time, but he wouldn't tell me more…but Tseng says you just got recruited a little while ago and I was hoping you could maybe explain it …Reno?"

Reno, during the time Elena had been chattering, had let his eyelids fall and snapped them back open when she fell silent. "Hmm? What? Sorry, I…"

"That's ok. My name's Elena…"

"So what's been so god awful, Tseng?" Reno asked, turning his attention to his superior.

"President Shinra is dead."

"What?" Reno asked incredulously, suddenly completely alert. "Dead? How?"

"The Great Sephiroth stabbed him," Elena supplied helpfully.

"Who?"

Tseng looked slightly startled. "You don't know who…? Well, I guess you wouldn't…umm…he's the best warrior SOLDIER has ever had."

"Ok…and why did he kill the president?"

Tseng shrugged. "I have no idea."

"So who's in charge now?"

"Rufus Shinra," Rude answered. "He's an asshole."

Elena's blue eyes widened. "Rude!" she gasped, looking around nervously. "You can't say that about the president!"

"Rude's being mild. I'd be worse," Reno defended his friend. "So what's happening now?"

"We're after Sephiroth," Tseng informed him. "Unfortunately, so is Avalanche."

Reno groaned and touched a hand to his chest again. "I'm not fighting them anymore. This _hurts_ goddamnit."

"Yeah, Reno, I know," Tseng said sympathetically. "Don't worry about it, you'll be better soon."

"Well, I hope I stay that way. I don't particularly enjoy having the shit beaten out of me." Reno folded his arms and glared at Elena who was giggling. "What's so funny, newbie?"

Elena looked slightly offended. "You're a newbie too, jackass. Tseng said you've only been Turks a couple weeks, even if Rude said…"

"Jackass, am I? Bite me."

Tseng chuckled. "I wouldn't tempt her; she's liable to take you up on that offer."

"Whatever. So now what?"

"Well, _we're _headed to Kalm, or the Mythril Mines on our way to Junon. You're staying here."

"What the hell? No way! I wanna go too!"

"Don't worry, Reno. I'll give 'em hell for you," Rude promised.

"Yeah!" Elena smacked a fist against her palm. "We'll show them what Turks are made of!"

Reno sighed and leaned back against the pillows again suddenly feeling weary. He had a gnawing fear in the pit of his stomach that this was only the beginning of their troubles with Avalanche. "I'm kinda tired, guys. Could you…maybe leave me alone to get some sleep?"

"Sure, Reno. We're all very proud of you," Tseng said, laying a hand on Reno's shoulder.

"Yeah. Get better fast, ok?" Rude asked, slipping out of the room.

Elena hesitated then gently gave Reno a hug. "I hope you feel better. I'm sure we'll be a great squad, kinda like a family."

In spite of himself, Reno grinned. "Thanks guys. See you 'round, Elena." When the blonde had left the room, he chuckled to himself and settled down underneath the blankets. "A family, huh?"

--------------------------------------------

Friday morning found a very anxious Reno pacing about his room, fully dressed and twirling his nightstick, accelerating and decelerating the speed of the whirls and loops the weapon made. He was bored and sick of being stuck in the hospital. A few days was all it had taken to get him in good enough condition to be walking around and dressed, but for some insane reason, the nurses at the hospital wouldn't let him leave without a release form from his doctor. Unfortunately, the doctor who had attended him was on holiday at the moment and, though he was due back soon, Reno decided he couldn't wait any longer.

"The hell with this…" he muttered under his breath. Striding to the door, he peered out into the hallway. It was clear except for a little boy on crutches who was hobbling down the corridor unsteadily. "Hey, kid!" Reno called.

The boy looked up and smiled. "Hullo, mister."

"You wanna make a quick…" Reno pulled out his wallet and rifled through it quickly, "You wanna make three hundred and fifty-nine Gil?"

Reno smiled as the little boy's eyes bulged. "Really, mister?"

"Sure. My name's Reno. I need you to stand in the hallway and tell me if any nurses are coming."

"Ok, Mr. Reno." Eagerly, the boy hop-skipped to the door of the room and sat down in a chair by the door.

"Just Reno. Thanks, kid." Reno handed the boy the money and he stuffed it into the cast on his leg, grinning. "Don't let me down."

"I won't." Attentively, the boy peered down the hallway.

Reno quickly opened the window by his bed and looked down at the ground. Softly he whistled and chuckled to himself. "Four stories."

"Four? Are you crazy? What if you fall?" the boy said incredulously.

"Well, if I fall, then at least I'm right near a hospital." Reno paused and regarded the child with his Mako teal eyes. "You would give someone a shout if I fell, wouldn't you? I mean, you wouldn't just leave me out there to rot?"

The little boy snickered. "Nah. My name's Andy, by the way."

"Pleased to meet you," Reno said politely, knotting a couple sheets together and jerking at the fabric to ensure it was tight.

The boy held up a hand and looked down the hallway. "A nurse!"

"Uh oh." Quickly, Reno rearranged the sheets on the bed and pulled a chair up close. "Come sit here." The boy obeyed as Reno tugged off his shirt and suit jacket, stuffing them under the bed.

"Whoa!" Andy exclaimed, staring at the two slashes that crossed Reno's chest as the Turk sat down on the bed and leaned back against the pillows, pulling the blankets up to his waist.

"Heh, you like? Courtesy of Avalanche," Reno traced a finger over one of the scars.

"What's going on in here?" the nurse asked, entering the room.

"Just showing Andy my scar!" Reno said pleasantly.

"Hmm…" the nurse frowned suspiciously. "Well, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"What?" Reno asked nervously.

"Well, your doctor's been held over in Mideel, but we'll see if we can't get one of the staff surgeons to take a look at you some time over the weekend."

"I wanna go now! All my friends headed down to Junon and then Costa del Sol!"

"I'm sorry, but it's against hospital policy. I'll see you later this evening, Reno." The nurse left the room and Reno all but jumped out of the bed, reaching down and pulling his shirt and jacket out from underneath.

"That is _it_. I'm outta here!" Quickly knotting a couple more sheets together, Reno tied the end of one to the bed leg and took a moment to pull his shirt and jacket on.

"Why're your friends in Costa del Sol?" Andy asked curiously.

"Business. A Turk's work is never done." Reno sighed and tossed the sheet rope out the window. It unraveled and stopped, the tail hitting the ground. "Well, you've been a lot of help kid. I'll catch you around." Easily, Reno slipped out the window and rappelled down the side of the building. When he reached the bottom he waved up at his friend and made his way out of the parking lot and down the street. After about twenty minutes of walking he was bored, sore and tired. Wearily, he wondered if he could catch a bus. Glancing up across the street, something bright red and shiny caught his eye.

"Holy shit…" Reno breathed, eyes alight. In the window of a car dealership across the street was a sleek convertible, almost glowing with perfection. Never before in his life had Reno felt passion toward a vehicle. For the majority of his life he hadn't had enough money to warrant being interested in cars, but now things were different. Purposefully, he strode across the street and into the dealership.

"Good afternoon, sir, how may I help you?" a dealer in a suit asked, striding over with a wide smile that struck Reno as being plastic.

"I want that car," Reno stated, pointing at the convertible in the window.

"Ah, excellent choice sir. Shall I get you a cup of coffee while we discuss payment options?"

"Nah. Listen, I'm a Turk. I haven't got any cash on me right now, but is there any way you could go into the company records or something and get me that car? Here's my employee card." Reno reached into his pocket and pulled out a small card.

"I'll see what I can do." The dealer bustled off and Reno walked over to the car, eyes roving hungrily over its curves and contours. The interior was leather with what appeared to be an extremely technological dashboard. With a sigh, he sat down in a chair and simply stared at the car, taking in its every detail.

"Ah, young love," the dealer joked, coming up to Reno with a handful of papers. "Now, I have to ask you some questions…"

"Sure."

"Name?"

"Charles Reno…no…Reno Charles…umm…I don't know. Whichever you like better. My last name's Anderson."

"Ah…Age?"

"Fifty five this August."

The dealer laughed. "Funny stuff, kid. Now, seriously…"

"I _was _serious."

"Umm…ok…mother's name?"

Reno paused. "Julia Anderson."

"Father?"

"Richard Anderson."

"Birthplace?"

"I dunno. Let's say Midgar."

"All right. Occupation?"

"Turk." Reno said proudly, pulling his nightstick out of his jacket pocket, unfolding it, and twirling it expertly.

"I can see that. Let's see…last question…what are your reasons for purchasing this car?"

Reno shrugged. "I don't want to have to walk back to HQ."

"That's it?"

"Pretty much. Can I have my car now?"

"Umm…yeah, here." The dealer dropped a pair of keys into Reno's outstretched palm and the redhead grinned and vaulted into the vehicle.

"Thank you. You've been a great help." Reno reverently inserted the key into the ignition and turned it, savoring every second of resistance until the engine roared to life. With an exultant sigh, he placed his hands on the steering wheel, gripping the leather and closing his eyes for a moment.

"I'm glad to see you're enjoying it," the dealer grinned, putting a hand on the dash. "Would you like us to get it moved out onto the street for you?"

Reno's eyes snapped open, burning a fiery teal. "Get your hands offa my car."

The dealer jumped back. "Sorry! W-would you like us to move it for you?"

Reno shook his head slowly. "No one touches this car but me. I'll get it out of here myself." With those last words, Reno floored the gas petal and the car leapt into motion, flying through the glass window at the front of the dealership and turning onto the main road with a screech of his tires. There was a furious honking of horns as he sped down the highway, swerving around cars with an ease and precision he had not thought possible. He'd learned to drive, training for the Turks, so he knew maneuvers and techniques that far surpassed those of the other drivers around him.

For the first time since his release, Reno laughed with pure and sincere joy, reveling in true freedom. His laughter stopped for a moment as he heard sirens wailing behind him. He was getting away from the inner part of Midgar, towards the ramp that spiraled around the outside of the plate, leading down to the main road that ran across the continent. Glancing back over his shoulder, he saw two Midgar police cruisers and a bike on his tail, far behind, but slowly gaining.

"Think you can catch me? Yeah, right!" Reno yelled, voice lost amidst the roar of his own engine and the howl of the sirens. Forgetting all notions of restraint, he opened the engine up as far as it would go and sped onto the corkscrew ramp down to ground level. The vehicle hugged the tight curve like it was responding to his thoughts, perfectly in tune with what he wanted to happen. He shot from the bottom of the ramp with a burst of speed, far outdistancing anyone who might be pursuing. Reno fully realized that the Midgar police force would follow him no further than the exit of the city, but he drove as though Hades himself clutched at the bumper, swerving along the paved highway that led away from Midgar, solely for the sake of swerving. Finally he reached the end of the pavement and threw the steering wheel hard to the right, spinning a full 1080 degrees before finally letting the car stop with a lusty sigh. Getting out of the car, he let himself drop to the ground and stare up at the sky, feeling the very rotation of the earth, slowing down as his equilibrium returned. When finally the heavens stopped flying in a circle, he picked himself up from the ground and sprawled out face first onto the hood of the car, breathing heavily and feeling the heat of the engine.

"I love you," he murmured, pressing his cheek against the almost burning hood and not caring how stupid it sounded. There was an answering thrum from the engine as the last throes of the mechanism wound down. With a sigh, Reno pushed himself up and sat stretched out comfortably on the hood, leaning back against the windshield and staring out at the sunset. For hours, he sat enthralled, staring up at the sky, which he had forgotten and neglected for so many years. Finally he slid from the hood of the car and back behind the wheel, leaning back against the seat. Reaching out idly, he turned on the radio, searching for the Shinra News Station.

"And in our latest news, we have had reports of a reckless driver speeding through Midgar at speeds topping one hundred and fifty miles per hour. Any sign of a red convertible with a single occupant should be reported immediately to…" Reno flicked off the radio and threw his head back, laughing. Finally regaining his composure, he wiped tears of laughter from his eyes and looked to the east, where a vicious looking cloudbank was gathering. "Oh shit," Reno sighed, reluctant to head back into Midgar. With a rather heavy heart, he turned the key in the ignition, again feeling a wild adrenaline surge when the dashboard lit up. He took a moment to find the button to put the top on because of the impending storm and instead activated a digital screen with cities and towns that littered the planet pictured.

"What have we here?" Reno murmured, pressing the correct button for the top and studying the map. The three towns in which he was closest proximity to blinked and the names flashed. Kalm, Midgar, and Junon were all active, as well as the distances from his position. Decisively, Reno floored the gas pedal and pointed his car in the direction of the port city of Junon.

--------------------------------------------

Light washed over Junon as Reno pulled his car into a small gas station outside of Junon. The slack jawed attendant stared vapidly at the convertible as Reno got out and leaned against the door. "Is there a garage I could keep this at?"

Dumbly the attendant nodded, wiping away a thin strand of drool that had slipped from the corner of his mouth. "You…you want it touched up a bit?"

Reno looked over the car, noticing all manner of dents and nicks in the paint from tearing across the plains, racing a thunderstorm. "Hmm…yeah." He gave the man a hard look. "And don't any of you _dare _think about stealing it. The security system on that baby is programmed to electrocute anyone who touches the wheel and doesn't have my fingerprints." Chuckling to himself, he tossed the man a roll of Gil and sauntered into Junon, ignoring the curious looks some of the residents gave him.

A girl came out of one of the buildings and glared at him fiercely. "You're a bad, bad person!" she shouted angrily.

Reno slowed for a second and turned his Mako eyes to the girl. "Am I? Why do you say that?"

"All people from Shinra are _bad_," she stated, crossing her arms against her chest. "Turks 'specially."

In spite of himself, Reno laughed. "That's funny because it's true…" Shrugging his shoulders, he continued to the Shinran entrance to the upper city of Junon.

"Halt!" the guard in front of the doorway commanded, leveling his gun at Reno. "Name and ID number."

Reno eyed the guard. "What did you say?"

"Give me your name and ID number or you can't pass!" the guard said stubbornly.

"My ID number? Why the hell do you need my ID number? There is no way in hell you know the ID number of every Shinra employee. All you need to know," Reno began menacingly, "is that I'm a Turk and I'm pissed off at you right now. You have precisely three seconds to get out of my way."

The guard gulped and nervously stepped aside. "Sorry, sir…"

Reno nodded absently and thwacked the sentry with his nightstick anyway, entering the cool dim passageway that led to the upper level. He passed a bunch of soldiers, all nervously reviewing their drills. There was a band near the entrance to Junon, tuning up and playing the opening bars of a lively march. Reno largely ignored the people he passed, getting up to the streets of Junon and looking around hopefully for a bar. Rather pleased, he spotted on right off and made for the entrance.

"Hey Reno!" a familiar voice exclaimed as he entered the bar. Elena was perched on a stool in front of the counter, taking a delicate sip of a martini.

"What a surprise," Tseng commented. "You weren't supposed to be out of the hospital until next week."

Reno shrugged and sat down between Elena and Tseng, grinning. "Nah. I wanted to come with you guys. It's boring on my own."

"Are you all better?" Elena asked, taking another sip of her martini. "I was reaaaaal worried."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Reno answered, shooting a glance at Tseng. Elena was obviously well on her way to getting smashed. "I'll have a glass of wine if you've got any…" he asked the bartender.

"Sure. On the house, for members of Shinra," the bartender said, handing Reno a glass.

"I like that policy." Reno glanced around to see if Rude was anywhere in the bar and took a long swallow of the wine. "Where's Rude?

Elena hiccupped and gave Reno a playful glance. "I dunno…he's usually with you, isn't he?" she asked, slurring her speech a little.

"Elena, I just got in from Midgar," Reno said patiently, drinking a little more wine.

"How'd you manage that Reno?" Tseng asked curiously.

Reno grinned. "Bought a car."

Tseng laughed. "Testing out your spending powers, are you?"

"Yup," Reno polished off the last of the glass, eying the blonde recruit critically. "Could I get a glass of what Elena's having?"

The bartender handed him another glass and Reno drank it quickly, determined to get as drunk or drunker than Elena.

Tseng sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, deciding to let the two have their fun. After all, it was a day of celebration.

--------------------------------------------

Two hours found Reno utterly blitzed and Elena almost as bad. Tseng simply shook his head every time Reno ordered another drink or when Elena let out a giggly shriek.

"Hey, Reno, guess what!" she slurred, punching her newfound drinking partner in the shoulder.

"Mmm?" Reno looked up with bleary, bloodshot eyes.

Elena held out her hand. "I have sixteen fingers! Look! Sixteen!"

Reno squinted. "I only count twelve. You're missing five."

"Nuh uh! Dumbass!" Elena smacked Reno solidly in the shoulder again. "Right there! One, two, three four…" Elena punctuated each digit by jabbing at each of the imaginary fingers with her other index finger. On nine or ten she missed and poked Reno in the eye.

"#&%! Elena, #&% off!" Reno shouted, clamping a hand over his eye and rubbing at it angrily.

Tseng frowned. "I think the both of you have had enough…"

A soldier ducked into the bar for a moment and looked at the three Turks, rather startled. "Umm…"

"Hey, soldier boy, shouldn't you be on duty?" Reno called mockingly, causing the soldier to retreat hastily.

Elena got to her feet unsteadily and leaned against the counter. "Hey! It's Rude! Hi, Rude!" Elena waved as the bald Turk entered the bar.

"Hello, Elena," Rude sighed. "You're drunk, you know that?"

Elena giggled and stumbled over to Rude, overbalancing and falling forward into his arms. "Oopsie."

"Mmm. Hello, Reno. Drunk too, are you?"

"Yup. Wasn't the same without you, Rude." Reno grinned.

"I'm sure. We're supposed to get on the boat and head for Costa del Sol." Rude eyed his partner critically. "Don't hurt yourself getting up."

"Aww…shut up…" Reno finished the last of his drink, standing up unsteadily and promptly losing his balance. "Ow…"

Tseng sighed and helped Reno to his feet, ignoring Elena's hiccupping giggles. "Reno, there is such a thing as drinking in moderation. Especially before a big mission."

"Whatever."

Elena laughed again and meandered her way towards the door, tripping over a chair at one of the tables and falling to the floor.

Tseng sighed again. "Rude, would you? I've got my hands full with our favorite gin soaked Turk at the moment…"

"Am not…" Reno muttered, not entirely sure what he was retorting to.

Rude nodded and gently scooped Elena off the floor, lifting her easily. With a shrewd, though slightly bleary-eyed glance, Reno noted that his friend was extremely careful with the blonde girl. He stored the information in the back of his mind and turned his concentration to walking without finding himself face to face with the floor again.

--------------------------------------------

Reno whimpered slightly, half-opening heavy lidded eyes. His head was spinning and every limb in his body felt like it weighed several tons. With a semiconscious effort, he rolled over and fell about six feet of the top of a bunk. The impact felt like it had broken every bone in his body and pain lanced through his skull. "Oh…"

"My god, Rude, I think it's alive…" Tseng remarked sarcastically, nudging Reno in the ribs with his foot.

Rude climbed off the bunk he'd been sitting on, reading and hauled Reno off the floor and into one of the armchairs in the moderately well furnished compartment the Turks had been supplied with. There were two bunks built into cavities in the wall, Tseng sitting comfortably on the lower one, playing solitaire and Elena curled up on the bunk above, still out cold. There were two armchairs and a table with a lamp on it right beside a porthole window. "How are you feeling Reno?"

"Like hell…no, hell would be a church picnic right now. This is worse than hell…" Reno pressed his hands against the sides of his head. Looking up out the small porthole window he was less than pleased to see water. "Dear god, _please _tell me we're not on a boat right now…"

"Well, of course we're on a boat. We'll be in Costa del Sol pretty soon," Tseng answered, scooping up his deck of cards and shuffling them.

"Hey, come on Reno…" Rude encouraged, slightly worried about his friend. "Maybe you should go back to bed…"

Tseng shook his head. "No, Rude, let him learn to tough it out. He's been hung over before."

"Yeah…" Rude's eyes were fixed on his partner. "How are you feeling Reno?"

"I told you…like hell…"

"Be specific," Rude insisted.

"It feels like…Mako all over again…" Reno gasped, closing his eyes.

Tseng sat up a bit, looking concerned. "Mako?"

"Mako shower. Turks used to be treated with it…" Rude answered absently. "I can feel something's off too." He removed his sunglasses and behind the near opaque shades, the irises of his eyes glowed an intense icy blue, pulsing slightly.

"Do you two need to see a doctor or something?" Tseng asked, now eying Reno with a look of tangible anxiety.

"I'm fine, it's an eerie feeling, but hardly life-threatening and I think it's probably just a bad combination of effects on Reno's part…I'm more worried about what's causing it." Rude answered, putting his sunglasses back on.

There was a sudden shriek and the loudspeaker on the wall crackled. "All military personnel to the cargo hold! Repeat, all military personnel report to the cargo hold immediately!"

Reno moaned and dropped out of the armchair onto his knees. "No, no, no. No boat, no hangover, no Mako. I can't do this right now."

Tseng climbed out of his bunk and grasped Reno's shoulder. "Snap out of it, Reno. Calm down. If you can't do it, you can stay here with Elena…"

Reno shuddered. "I…I'll stay…"

"Good idea," Rude approved, helping his partner up and letting him sit down on one of the bunks. "We'll be back before you know it."

Tseng grabbed his katana from where it lay beside his bed and he and Rude slipped out the door as Reno lay back on the bunk, shivering and sweating at the sensation that was burning at his flesh. He heard a feeble whimper and turned his head to the side to see Elena's baby blue eyes flicker open.

"Reno?" she mumbled. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, Elena…"

"What's wrong with your eyes?" she asked, sitting up and rubbing her forehead ruefully.

"Huh?"

"Your eyes. They're glowing…" Elena remarked, getting out of bed and straightening her slightly wrinkled suit. "Are you ok, Reno?"

Reno managed a weak smile. "No, not at all. Something's…wrong with me and I don't know what it is…"

Elena bit her lip and looked concerned. "Do you need a doctor? Where are Tseng and Rude?"

"I don't know…they went somewhere, they called everyone down to the cargo hold…"

"Well, we have to go too," Elena said decisively, opening the door. "C'mon Reno."

"Go?"

"Yes! C'mon!" Elena turned around and yanked Reno to his feet. "Come on or I'll go without you!"

In spite of himself, Reno followed, not wanting to be left alone. "Elena…I don't think this is a good idea…"

The blonde ignored him and hurried down the hallway that led to the upper deck seemingly unperturbed by her hangover and the fact that corridor rocked from side to side as the boat bobbed up and down on the water. Reno stumbled down the corridor, the swaying motion heightened by the liquor in his bloodstream.

Elena paused on the staircase and turned around, watching Reno curiously. "Are you sure you can do this?"

"No, I can't. Please Elena, let's go back…" Reno sat down on one of the steps and leaned against the wall, keeping a hand on the railing to counteract the sensation that the rocking of the boat would throw him off balance.

Elena hesitated and jogged down the steps, pulling Reno to his feet and putting his arm around her shoulders to help him stand. "C'mon, you'll be ok, we're almost there," Elena encouraged.

Reno sighed and reluctantly climbed the stairs to the top deck of the boat, knees almost buckling when he caught sight of the bloodied corpses scattered about the deck and the sickening scent of something inhuman. "What the hell…?"

Elena's eyes were wide. "Come on, we have to hurry!"

Feelings of weakness almost balanced by the adrenaline surge, Reno followed Elena down the stairs to the cargo hold. There were yet more decimated bodies scattered about and several soldiers were standing around, looking confused and lacking direction. "What happened?" Reno demanded, regretting raising his voice as pain stabbed into his forehead again.

"S-Sephiroth and a monster!" one of the soldiers cried, eyes wild. "And _Avalanche_!"

Reno drew a sharp breath and pressed a hand against his chest, feeling Elena take his arm. "Where are Tseng and Rude?"

"In there," the soldier answered, pointing at the door that led to another section of the cargo hold.

Reno took another deep breath as Elena pulled on his hand, towards the door. His skin was still crawling, his head pounded and his stomach churned, worse than any hangover he'd ever had before.

Elena pushed open the door to see Tseng grimly examining a twitching tentacle and Rude up on the catwalk, looking at the mutilated body of another soldier. "What happened?" she breathed, looking slightly relieved that both of the other Turks were unharmed.

"As far as we can tell, Sephiroth showed up, summoned a huge mutant and had it attack Avalanche," Tseng answered gravely. "I can hardly debate wanting to slaughter Avalanche, but he wiped out half the crew…"

Reno stood transfixed by the appendage lying on the floor, bleeding pure Mako. It had been hacked off cruelly from the body of what must have been a much bigger being. Mako green blood was splattered all over the walls, glowing eerily. "Avalanche…killed it?" he asked dazedly.

Tseng nodded. "Reno, you seem a little out of it…are you ok?" he asked, alarmed at the younger Turk's lack of attentiveness.

"I'm…all right…" Numbly, Reno walked towards the tentacle, not quite grasping what it symbolized. The Mako feeling got stronger and stronger as he approached. The feeler quivered and Reno almost felt like it was drawing him in.

"Reno, your eyes…" Elena whispered, reaching out for Reno's arm, almost as if to pull him away.

Without warning the tentacle thrashed and wrapped itself around Reno's ankle. Reno doubled over with a sharp cry and clutched at his sides, glow in his eyes flickering unsteadily. The appendage seemed to tighten its grip and Reno dropped to his knees. There was a sudden flash as Tseng's katana sliced through the air and sheered the writhing limb in half. The tentacle stiffened for a moment and then relaxed in death as Reno toppled limply onto his side, green eyes dull and unseeing.

"Reno!" Elena gasped, dropping to her knees and shaking his shoulder anxiously. "Tseng, what happened?"

Grimly, Tseng knelt down and laid a hand on Reno's forehead, getting a better look at his eyes. "I don't know…it's like he's had the life sucked out of him…"

"Is he breathing?" Rude questioned seriously, climbing down from the catwalk.

Elena pressed her hand against Reno's chest, feeling it rise and fall and his heart beating rapidly. "He's still alive…"

Rude nodded. "It's more like he's had the Mako sucked out of him. I've read about this. Some monsters, especially ones that were generated in Mako reactors or are the result of Mako radiation, will draw Mako for energy, like bats draw blood. It's potentially deadly to members of SOLDIER or Turks like me and Reno. Hopefully, it didn't take too much…"

"Is he going to be all right?" Elena asked, biting her lip and pulling Reno into her arms in a gentle hug.

"I don't know. Rude, can you do anything?" Tseng stepped aside and let Rude take his place, kneeling by Reno's unmoving form. For a few seconds, the bald Turk laid a hand on his friend's shoulder, eyes closed and concentration written on his features, a faint Mako glow showing even through his sunglasses.

"Tseng do you have a handkerchief on you?" Rude asked suddenly.

"Yes…" Tseng pulled a small square of white cloth from his breast pocket, handing it to Rude.

"Thanks." Without hesitation, Rude mopped up some of the Mako that had poured onto the floor and wrung the handkerchief out, until it glowed a damp green, but still dripped a bit. With surprising care for one of his size, he gently brushed the cloth across his partner's ashen forehead, leaving a glowing emerald streak across the skin, quickly absorbed. Green rivulets trickled down the side of his face and into the fabric of Elena's jacket.

Elena gasped. "Hey, there was something in his eyes for a second!"

Rude nodded in agreement. "Just a flicker, he's not back yet." Carefully, he dabbed the cloth across Reno's throat, motioning to Elena to undo his shirt. The blonde complied as Rude soaked some more Mako into the handkerchief, not bothering to wring it out. Still gentle, he rubbed it against his friend's chest. The edges of the "X" scar gleamed brightly as the damp fabric passed over them, retaining the glow for a little longer.

Rude paused for a moment and set the cloth aside, shaking Reno's shoulder. "Come on, Reno…you can hear me, come on…"

The dead look in Reno's eyes wavered and his eyelids flickered. The light started to grow in his eyes again as the Mako got back into his bloodstream. "Rude…" he mumbled weakly as he focused on his friend's face.

"Right here, Reno…" Rude answered with a relieved grin, squeezing his partner's shoulder reassuringly.

Elena gave Reno a hug from behind, lacing her arms around his chest and embracing him gently. "You scared me, Reno…I thought you were gonna die…"

"You scared all three of us pretty bad," Tseng agreed.

"I…didn't think I would make it either, Elena…" Reno sighed and moved his head a bit so it was cradled in the crook of her elbow. "I'm so tired…"

"Go to sleep, Reno," Elena instructed gently.

"What exactly happened?" Tseng questioned.

"It's called a Mako Coma. It happens when someone is exposed to high levels of Mako or when someone who usually has Mako in their system is suddenly deprived of it. Lose too much or gain too much and it can kill a person."

"Why didn't it affect you?"

"Different type of Mako. That monster was Green Mako based. My treatment was Blue Mako. There are three levels, Green, Blue, and Red. Red is very unstable. They don't use it except in special cases."

"Rude, you shoulda been a doctor," Elena said admiringly, tracing her finger over the "X" on Reno's chest until he started to fall asleep.

"Only if you'd be a nurse," Rude answered with a dry smile.

--------------------------------------------

The boat bumped against the dock in Costa del Sol, a heavy gangplank dropping and soldiers and sailors alike starting to unload cargo. The four Turks waited on the upper deck, Tseng leaning against the railing, Rude standing at attention near the gangplank, Elena perched on top of a pile of crates and Reno seated on one of the boxes at the bottom of the pyramid. Reno sighed and started to stand up, Rude catching his arm to help him out.

"Take it easy, Reno," the bald Turk cautioned, holding out his other hand to help Elena down from the stack of crates.

"I'm ok, Rude."

Tseng shook his head. "No, not really. Just hold off a little until you've had at least a decent night's sleep."

"Aww…" Reluctantly, Reno let Tseng help him down the gangplank and waited at the bottom for Elena and Rude. With a sigh, he wiped the back of his sleeve against his forehead, already a little irritated at the blistering heat in Costa del Sol.

"Hot, Reno?" Tseng chuckled. "Don't worry about it, we've rented a villa with air conditioning."

"Thanks, sir," Reno answered gratefully.

"Don't thank him, thank the president," a gruff voice called as Elena and Rude came up behind Tseng and Reno. Heidegger stood at the top of the walkway, glaring down at the four Turks over his vast paunch. "Gya hah hah hah! Speaking of which, Rufus wants a word with you four…Form up!"

Tseng stood at attention, still helping Reno stand while Rude and Elena took their positions beside him, at attention. Reno sighed and closed his eyes wearily, opening them to stare at the ground until a pair of patent black shoes came into view.

"What happened here?" a young voice demanded, and Reno lifted his eyes to get his first look at President Rufus Shinra. "Why are half my soldiers dead?"

"Sephiroth, sir," Tseng reported crisply, shifting slightly so that Reno supported a bit more of his own weight. "From what we understand he summoned a Mako based mutant and it attacked and killed many of the crew members. Avalanche had stowed away on board and they dispatched it."

"Avalanche?" Rufus repeated softly. "Avalanche. How remarkable. I have, at my disposal, four of this company's _elite_ and a measly terrorist group dispatches the monster?"

"We were not informed of the situation until well after the creature had been dispatched, sir," Tseng answered, voice slightly cold.

"And why were you not patrolling the ship?" Rufus asked, tone still dangerous.

"Because that's what you have soldiers for, sir," Elena piped up.

Rufus turned his eyes to the blonde Turk and walked a few steps forward, stopping in front of her and glaring down. While Elena was at least three years older than the president, she was about a foot shorter and gulped nervously when she felt his eyes on her. "Do you mean to imply that your leader is stupid?"

"N-no sir…" Elena whispered, lowering her eyes. "I just meant…"

"You just meant what? That you don't think I _know_ why I have soldiers?" Rufus asked threateningly.

Reno's blood boiled as Elena looked at the ground and mumbled something, her lower lip trembling. "I…I'm sorry sir…"

"Look at me when you talk," Rufus commanded, lifting his hand.

Elena lifted her teary blue eyes and gasped as Rufus slapped her sharply. She pressed a hand to her flaming cheek and a few tears slid from her eyes.

"Turks don't cry," Rufus said disdainfully, pulling his hand back as though to hit her harder. Rude caught his wrist, just before he struck Elena, in a grip that looked effortless, but was really quite close to breaking bone.

"What sort of scum," Rude began in a very quiet, very threatening voice, "hits a lady?"

Color rose on Rufus' pale cheeks and he jerked his hand away, punching Rude hard in the chest.

Rude grunted and let his sunglasses slide down his nose, looking down at Rufus with a frigid expression. "Give it another shot, sir. Aim a bit higher and you might get some results."

Rufus rubbed his hand angrily, moving on to Reno. "And what have we here? What's the matter, Tseng, can't your recruits stand for themselves?"

Tseng flushed and gritted his teeth as Reno's eyes flared and he stood up straight, despite the ache in his body. "So you're our new illustrious leader, junior? Well, well, well, the shit _has _hit the fan, now hasn't it? I knew your father. Great leader, the late President Shinra was. And I'm told that you're his son? My god, did your mother screw around with a dog? Perhaps, you're mother _was _a dog? Hmm. I didn't know President Shinra was so varied in his tastes. I'd only heard a few rumors, but I perhaps misjudged how loosely the term 'bitch' is thrown around. Considering your looks, attitude, and skill at leadership you must have been spawned from some sort of animal…"

Rufus chuckled quietly. "I knew there would be an upstart jackass somewhere who would be fool enough to challenge my authority. I never dreamed it would be one of the Turks…" Rufus turned his back to Reno for a second and the Turk found himself restraining the urge to crack the young president's skull open with his nightstick. The young man suddenly whirled around and slammed his fist into the side of Reno's skull. Green Mako flared around Reno's body, nullifying most of the blow, but the impact still sent Reno to his knees, dazed.

"Mr. President…" Tseng began angrily.

"That will be all, Tseng." Rufus turned on his heel and made for the helicopter pad with Heidegger in tow.

Elena rubbed at her eyes as Rude helped Reno to his feet. "That big meanie…"

Tenderly, Reno touched his fingers to the side of his head, wincing. "Elena, don't act so weak. Does 'big meanie' really sum that jackass up?"

"Fine," Elena snapped. "That &$%& bastard! If I ever get my hands on him I'll…" Elena proceeded to go on at great length about precisely what she would do to President Rufus, including great detail regarding how she would carry out her plans. "…with a dull knife!" she finished. By the end of her narrative, even Rude's skull was flushing and Reno looked pale.

"Note to Self: do _not _get on Elena's bad side!" Reno stammered, eyes slightly wild.

Elena giggled prettily and ran a hand over Rude's skull. "Sunburned already, Rude?" she asked coyly. "Want me to rub some lotion on that head of yours?"

Rude's sunglasses slipped to the ground as his nose started to sweat. "Ah…" Hastily he bent down to pick up his sunglasses.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Elena grabbed Rude's hand and dragged him towards the villa. "I'm buying a swimsuit!" she called back over her shoulder.

Tseng smiled. "Come along, Reno, bed time…"

"Mmm?" Reno managed to tear his attention away from the legs of a young woman who was tanning on the wing of a Cessna. "What, now?"

"Uh huh. There'll be plenty of time for your antics later. Now, off to bed!"

--------------------------------------------

The next morning found Reno completely and totally refreshed, up with the sun and in a pair of brightly patterned rainbow swim trunks and a white tropical shirt with the word "Shinra" blazoned on the back in vibrant colors. Whistling to himself, he tossed a bottle of suntan lotion up in the air and caught it again, eager to seek young female bodies that might be in need of its application.

"Morning, Reno," Elena whispered, coming out of her room in a very skimpy teal bikini that left the majority of her skin bare and carrying a woven straw beach bag.

Reno grinned. "Well, good morning, Elena! Say, you need some sunscreen?"

"No thanks, Reno, I already put some on," Elena answered brightly, pulling a bottle of coconut oil from her bag and waving it.

"My loss, I suppose…"

"Your loss of what, Reno?" Rude asked mildly as he came out of his room, the threat in his tone hidden. Rude wore a pair of navy shorts and his sunglasses, a towel draped over his shoulder.

"Oh, nothing. Shall we hit the beach?" Reno proposed, tossing his bottle of sunscreen up again.

"Good idea!" Elena absently ran a hand up and down Rude's bare back. "Rude, you don't have any suntan lotion on! I'll have to take care of that when we get to the beach…"

Rude flushed again and Reno chuckled as the trio exited the villa into the bright, sun bleached commons of Costa del Sol. Elena scampered ahead, stopping to kick a soccer ball around with a pair of kids.

"So?" Reno asked, eying his partner.

"So what?"

Reno rolled his eyes. "You know what."

"Oh. _That_." Rude shook his head. "Reno, I'm thankful to know that not everyone on this planet is as degenerate as you are."

Reno looked a little disappointed. "Man, Rude, I thought better of you…"

"I wish I could say the same."

Reno laughed and followed his friend down the steps to the beach. A warm breeze stirred the leaves of the palm trees and already there were faithful sun tanners and surfers out on the sand and the water. Elena had already selected a spot and was laying out her blanket.

"Reno! Rude! Over here!" Elena stretched out on the big blanket and bared her lush figure.

"Reno, you're drooling," Rude quietly pointed out to his friend, whose jaw had dropped open. "I suggest you shut your face before I impose the need for your lower mandible to be wired to your upper jaw."

With a hasty click of his teeth, Reno snapped his jaws closed and tried to concentrate on Elena's feet, though his eyes inadvertently slid up her legs and over her torso, making for her breasts.

"Hey, look, beach volleyball…" Rude commented absently, punching Reno's shoulder, a bit harder than usual.

"Mmm…" Reno let his eyes make their way back to Elena's feet and begin the tantalizing journey upward again. "Sorry, Rude, maybe I'll play later. You can go if you want. I'll keep Elena company…"

Rude shook his head. "Sorry, Reno, I've got a date with a bottle of suntan oil. Did I mention it's all _girls _beach volleyball?"

Reno spun around, plowing up a small wave of sand, green eyes practically doubling in size. "Holy shit…"

"Mmm…" Rude grabbed the end of Reno's ponytail and pulled him over to the blanket, ignoring his partner's protests and tossing him to the ground with a yank on his ponytail.

"Stop horsing around, you two…" Elena scolded, squirting some oil into her palm and beckoning to Rude invitingly. "Don't mind us, Reno…"

Reno paid absolutely no attention to Elena, watching the volleyball game with an intense fervor. He decided it was very good start to his morning and that things didn't get much better than watching a dozen women in bathing suits, skin glistening with sweat, jumping and diving after a volleyball. He put in a good half hour of viewing time from his spot on the blanket and then determined that he should move closer to the action.

"Be right…" Reno began, turning to Elena and Rude, only to find them very occupied, Elena making a serious attempt to remove Rude's tonsils using her tongue, "back…"

Reno hastily made his way closer to the game, leaning against a palm tree near a bunch of heavily tanned young men with a cooler. A short woman with dark hair (whom Reno had noticed to be very bouncy) made a dive for the ball and scooped it from the sand to one of her teammates who slammed it down over the net. Appreciatively, Reno clapped along with the other guys who were also whistling and hooting.

"Hey, man, you wanna drink?" one of them called, pulling a bottle from the cooler and holding it out to Reno.

"Thanks," Reno answered, accepting the bottle and popping the top off. "Some game…"

The guy who had offered him the bottle laughed. "Damn straight. Name's Digger. This is Shack," he indicated a tall youth with bleached hair and red trunks. "This is Plug," he pointed to another young man with crazily spiked brown hair. "And that's Flipper," he indicated the last young man, another blonde with long hair that reached his shoulders.

"Reno," Politely, Reno held out his hand and received warm handshakes all around.

"You with the Shinra?" Flipper asked casually.

"Yeah, Turks."

Shack arched an eyebrow. "Turks, eh? Killer. Literally, killer."

Reno grinned. "Kill you twice before you even blink."

"Too much stress in that job, man," Plug said, shaking his head. "The four of us, we're all professional amateurs. At surfing that is."

Reno sighed. "You're damn right about stress."

"You need to unwind, man?" Digger asked. "We oughta teach you to surf. Best sport in the world…"

"Sure," Reno agreed. "It's probably high time I got around to some physical activity…pity all the ladies are occupied." Reno grinned as the group laughed, deciding he fit in quite well with the easy-going, casual attitude of the surfers.

--------------------------------------------

It was just past noon and Reno had spent about five hours mastering the basics and learning some of the finer techniques of surfing. Flipper, the unofficial master of the group, praised him as a natural.

"Hey, Reno, what's the scar on your chest from?" Plug asked, taking a sip from a bottle.

Reno winced. "Business expense. The Shinra exec pays in Gil. Turks pay in blood."

"Rough man…" Shack commented, shaking his head. "You oughta quit and be a surfer full time."

"Yeah, and wave bye-bye to my source of income…"

Flipper shook his head. "Nah, there's plenty of ways to make money in Costa del Sol. I'm a bartender at night."

"I work at the inn," Plug added.

Digger flushed. "I'm a…gravedigger…"

Reno grinned. "Well, someone has to do it. Explains the nickname. What about you Shack?"

"I own a very lucrative business," Shack answered, flashing his white teeth with a smile. "See that little hut, a ways down the beach?" He pointed to a small wooden shack.

"Yeah?"

"Well, I own it. And I rent it out once in a while. Overnight customers only. Fifty Gil a night."

Laughing, Reno slapped his friend on the back. "Hey, you think you could give me a special rate? One night for me, provided you throw in another guest to keep me company, and the night after for some friends of mine."

"Sure, Reno, sure. You guys wanna get back in the water?"

Flipper's eyes suddenly gleamed mischievously. "Hey, I've got an idea…" He beckoned his friends closer and murmured something.

There was a general murmur of agreement and Reno's hand shot in the air. "I volunteer!"

Digger laughed. "Knew we could count on you, Reno. Let's go!"

With a grin, Reno grabbed the surfboard he'd borrowed from Flipper's vast collection and sauntered over to the water, taking his time to admire the scenery when he passed a few female devotees of the sun deity.

"Reno, c'mon!" Plug yelled impatiently.

"Yeah, I'm coming…" With slight reluctance, Reno splashed into the water, tossing his board down and letting it skim the surface of the waves, before climbing on, stomach and leanly muscled chest pressed against the brightly painted surface of the board. With smooth, easy strokes, he made his way out to the deeper water where his friends were waiting for waves.

Flipper shaded his eyes and looked out towards the ocean, watching for waves. "Dibs on the next one."

Reno stretched out comfortably on his board, closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of the sun on his skin. Or he did until one of his friends reached out and flipped his board over. "Hey!"

Digger laughed and held out a hand as Reno surfaced, shaking water from his dark red hair. "Aww…lighten up."

Reno laughed and climbed onto his board again, sitting with his legs dangling over the side. "So who's next?" he asked casually as Flipper carved along the side of a wave, near perfectly.

"You are, buddy boy," Plug informed him. "Do it right, now."

"Don't worry about me guys," Reno answered. "I promise you, this will be a _flawless_ performance." Stretching out on his surfboard, Reno swam out to where the bigger waves hit, watching intently for the next big wave.

He took a deep breath as a rolling swell approached, tensing his body and executing the motions he'd spent the morning practicing perfectly. Reno grinned as exhilaration roared through his body and adrenaline flooded his veins. For a split second, time stood still, the moment that hovers between fun and crisis before Reno suddenly lost his balance and toppled from the board, the wave he'd been riding finally breaking and pushing him under with all the more force.

The impact from hitting the water knocked the wind from his lungs and Reno found himself unable to take a breath to recover, trapped in the dark swirling water. A vaguely familiar feeling of panic tore at his mind and the adrenaline kicked in again. Desperately, Reno got a hold of himself and attempted to discern which way was up. Catching the glint of the sun on the water above him, he weakly struggled to get back to the surface. The light started to fade as Reno's eyes fell shut and he let his body go limp. He suddenly felt someone grab his waist and haul him upward.

"Reno!" a voice exclaimed as he broke the surface. "Hey, Reno, you ok?"

Reno managed a feeble cough as whoever his rescuer was pounded him on the back and gave him a boost onto one of the surfboards.

"Shit, Reno…" the voice murmured. "You weren't supposed to drown for _real_…"

Reno opened his eyes and grinned at Digger who was treading water with an arm draped over his surfboard and an anxious expression. "Course not. I said it would be flawless, didn't I?"

With a relieved grin, Digger turned around and waved at the others. "You still think you can pull this off?"

"Flawlessly," Reno repeated, sliding off the board and floating face down like a corpse.

"You jackass, it's frickin' scary when you do that…" Digger muttered, lifting one of his friend's arms around his shoulder to prevent him from sinking. Reno remained unresponsive, except for a barely perceptible grin at the thought of the prank.

--------------------------------------------

Elena sat up and frowned, shading her eyes as she looked out over the water. Irritated at the glare off the water, she looked around for binoculars or something. Disappointed at not finding any, she snatched Rude's and squinted through them.

Rude winced as sunlight pierced his eyelids and opened his eyes, having been taking a nap on the comfortable beach blanket with his head on Elena's soft stomach. "Something wrong?"

Elena squinted harder. "I'm not sure…I think someone's in trouble out there…but the lifeguard isn't doing anything about it…"

Sighing reluctantly, Rude sat up and took his sunglasses from Elena, looking out over the water. "Yeah, looks like one of those surfers bit the dust…so to speak, but I can't tell which…probably Reno though, knowing his aptitude for sports…"

"Rude, don't joke about things like that!" Elena scolded, shading her eyes again and trying to see better. "Oh, I hope it isn't Reno…maybe we should tell the lifeguard, just in case…"

Rude shrugged. "If you want. It's not really our business…"

"I think we should go anyway," Elena said decisively, standing up and starting to weave her way through the crowd of people to the lifeguard tower. Rude followed, catching up to Elena and taking her hand. The blonde smiled shyly and squeezed Rude's fingers as she approached the lifeguard tower. "Excuse me?" she called up.

There was no response from the top of the tower and Rude frowned. "Hey!"

"Shut up, down there!" a whiny female voice called. "I'm getting a tan!"

Elena looked irritated, and motioned for Rude to give her a boost. The bald Turk complied and easily lifted Elena up so she could climb into the crow's nest type platform at the top of the wooden tower. A young woman in a skimpy two-piece bathing suit with hair that was clearly bleached blonde lay on the platform, soaking up the sun.

"Excuse me?" Elena said frostily. "Are you the miserable bitch who's supposed to be the lifeguard?"

"What did you call me?" the young woman demanded, sitting up and glaring at Elena.

"In case you haven't noticed, there seems to be trouble out there." Elena pointed out over the water where it was definitely evident that there was one unmoving figure among the group of surfers

The pseudo-blonde stood up and looked where Elena was pointing with a disdainful sniff. "Outside of my territory. I don't deal with anything past that palm tree."

Elena's eyes narrowed. "Listen, that could be a very dear _friend _of mine!"

"Well, suck it up sister," the lifeguard said spitefully, giving Elena a shove. "Get off my tower."

With a sharp hiss as she exhaled through her teeth, Elena clenched her fists. "I suggest you get down there, right now."

"Oh yeah? And what're you gonna do if I don't?"

Rude was rather startled when a young blonde woman in a red swimsuit came flying off the top of the tower, shrieking and hitting the sand with a muffled thud. Elena landed lightly next to Rude and sauntered over to the downed woman.

"Get up," Elena ordered, grabbing a handful of the lifeguard's hair and hauling her to her feet. "You get over there and make sure that whoever is in trouble makes it, got that, blondie?"

The lifeguard whimpered, jogging over to where a pair of heavily tanned young men were wading through the shallow water, supporting a limp figure between them.

Elena gasped as they gently laid the still body of her friend down on the beach. "Reno!" Anxiously, Elena ran forward, stopping when Rude caught her arm.

"Stay back, let your blonde friend help him out," Rude said softly, pulling Elena close in a comforting hug.

A small crowd had gathered around the emergency scene and there were murmurs of concern and anxiety.

Elena bit her lip, shocked at how pale Reno looked, especially in comparison to all the deeply tanned bodies around him. "Oh, Rude, I hope he's ok…"

Rude didn't answer, watching intently as the lifeguard knelt down and pressed her lips against Reno's.

For a few seconds, everything seemed tense, until someone noticed Reno snake a hand up the young woman's back and untie the back of her swimsuit. His green eyes snapped open, vivacious and full of life as usual. The lifeguard found herself suddenly in the middle of what could easily be mistaken for an intimate moment with Reno and reacted as would be expected.

With a slightly muffled shriek, she pulled back, retying the strap of her bikini and slapping Reno as hard as she could as he sat up and grinned. "You _pervert_!"

"Ow!" Reno rubbed his cheek. "Hey! What're you guys trying to pull? That's not Cookie!"

There was a burst of laughter from the crowd and Reno grinned indulgently. "Well, what's a guy supposed to think when he wakes up with a mouthful of tongue that isn't his?"

There was more laughter and one of Reno's surfer friends helped him to his feet, lifting his hand and giving Reno a high five. "Well done!"

Reno smiled and turned to the lifeguard who had flushed a deep scarlet. "No hard feelings, babe?"

"You bastard!" the young woman turned on her heel and stalked off through the crowd, pushing past Elena angrily.

"Rude, what happened?" Elena asked, confused.

Rude sighed and took of his sunglasses, rubbing at his eyes. "Reno's just having fun. He does that sometimes. Plays dead. It's a very useful diversionary tactic. He does it in fights a lot, makes the enemy think he's dead and leave him alone. He's fooled me a couple times too. It's a very scary feeling to see your best friend lying on the ground like a corpse and not being sure if he's just faking it again."

"He did it on purpose?"

Rude nodded.

"That's awful! I was really, really scared!" Elena clenched her fists and started to walk over to Reno, intent on telling him off.

"Let it go, Elena. We'll get him later tonight, when he comes back to the villa. No sense in letting it ruin our vacation now."

--------------------------------------------

Reno gingerly opened the door of the darkened villa, slipping inside and closing it with a soft click behind him. Exulting silently to himself on managing to be out until two-thirty, get himself moderately drunk at a party on the beach, and still sneak into the villa with out waking any of the other Turks. Yawning drowsily, he made his way to the bedroom he and Rude shared, a little surprised to find his partner's single bed empty. Stopping for a moment and letting his drunken imagination put two and two together, he grinned and glanced down the hallway at the closed door of Elena's bedroom. Yawning again, he rubbed the back of his head and crawled under the blankets, falling asleep almost immediately. There was a slight creak as the door opened and a tall figure with a coil of rope in one hand entered the room with an evil smile.

--------------------------------------------

Reno awoke in darkness, stiff, cramped and surrounded by a musty odor. Twisting around to see where he was, he found his movement was extremely limited and that he was bound, gagged, and blindfolded. His first thoughts were panic and he managed to crack the back of his skull on something hard and metallic, seeing stars for a moment. He reflected on the fact that his head was not a good place to be hit, especially when he had a blinding hangover. For some reason, Reno couldn't shake the feeling that he was moving, but dismissed it as the aftereffects of drinking more liquor than he could remember.

"$%#!" he yelled, voice muffled by the gag, as his small prison was suddenly jolted and pain stabbed through his skull again. _"Where the hell am I?" _he wondered, feeling sorry for himself.

Suddenly Reno's movement theory was proven by the abrupt lack of movement. There were crunching noises from outside and fresh air and light suddenly flooded Reno's senses. Hopefully, he whimpered, praying it would incur some sympathy from whoever it was who had found him.

There was a muffled giggle and Reno felt a pair of strong hands grab him and pull him forward, dropping him gracelessly on the hard ground. He could smell grass and dirt and feel the cool breeze, but he had no idea where he was.

Someone nudged him in the ribs with the tip of a shoe and Reno moaned again, curling up defensively.

"Oh, Reno, toughen up," a voice said scornfully and he felt the ropes around his hands come loose. Sitting up, he jerked off the blindfold and gag, glaring up at Elena, Tseng, and Rude, all of whom were grinning.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded, wincing.

"Just a little revenge on our parts. You scared me and Rude real bad yesterday…" Elena explained, helping Reno to his feet.

"I was just having fun," Reno protested, getting into backseat of the small car. "You guys are such saps."

"That's enough, Reno. Just settle down," Tseng scolded, sliding behind the wheel. Rude was already in the passenger seat and had a pair of headphones on, his CD player playing at full volume and tuning out anyone else in the car.

"Whatever. Where're we going anyways?"

"Gongaga," Elena answered, buckling up and poking Reno in the ribs. "Put your seatbelt on."

"Nuh uh," Reno refused pointedly. "I don't wear seatbelts."

"Tseng! Reno won't put on his seatbelt!" Elena complained.

"Reno, put on your seatbelt," Tseng instructed, starting the car again and pulling back onto the road.

"No," Reno said stubbornly, folding his arms and looking out the window haughtily. "Not gonna."

Tseng sighed. "If we crash and you go shooting through the windshield, it isn't my fault."

"If we crash into a river and you can't get _out_ because of some damn seatbelt, then it's not _my_ fault," Reno retorted, moving closer to the door and resting his forehead against the window, nursing his phobia.

There was silence in the car; the only noises were the dull throb of the engine and the muted overflow from Rude's headphones.

"Tseng?" Reno finally asked. "Why're we going to Gongaga?"

"Business," the older Turk answered evasively.

"What kinda business?" Reno demanded, immediately suspicious.

"Just business. That's all."

"Sephiroth business?" Reno asked hopefully.

"Sort of."

Reno glared at the back of Tseng's head and folded his arms. "You're lying to me. We're really after Avalanche and you're gonna make me fight again."

"Reno, listen…we don't have many leads on Sephiroth. Avalanche seems to and our only option right now is to follow them blindly…well…almost blindly. We've got a spy on the inside, keeping an eye on what they're doing. That's why we're heading for Gongaga, to head them off and get more information."

"How the hell hard can it be to find a world famous member of SOLDIER?" Reno grumbled sulkily, falling silent for the rest of the trip.

--------------------------------------------

Reno cracked his knuckles nervously, perched in a tree, overhanging the pathway that led to Gongaga. Elena was keeping a lookout for Cloud and company. After several false alarms, Reno was very tense. From what Tseng had told them, they were to expect Cloud, Barret, and an experiment of Hojo's named Red XIII that had escaped from the lab. Reno didn't have anything against one of Hojo's experiments, he even felt a little sorry for the creature, but he hated Cloud and Barret. Cloud, because beneath his cocky attitude, Reno was absolutely terrified of him and Barret because he hated Avalanche. "Rude? D'you hate Avalanche?"

Rude was silent for a few moments before finally speaking. "I hate what they're doing. But they're people too and they have their reasons. From the profiles Tseng's given me to read, some of them don't even seem too bad. Neither of the girls, at least."

"Girls, eh?" Reno grinned voraciously. "That brunette…"

"They're both brunettes, Reno. Do you mean Tifa or Aeris?"

"I mean the one…" Reno started laughing wickedly. "You know who I mean…"

"You mean Tifa," Rude guessed disdainfully. "Shame on you, Reno."

Reno stopped laughing and grinned at Rude. "Can't help it."

"Sometimes, you're so…so _shallow_, I feel like slugging you."

"Tch," Reno snorted. "Bet you're just as bad as me."

"No one's as bad as you are."

"Well, then, Sir Rude of the Pristine White Soul, who do you like?"

Rude turned around and folded his arms, ignoring Reno.

"Aww…lighten up. Don't get all embarrassed about it…c'mon, which one?"

"This is stupid," Rude grumbled.

"Tifa, isn't it?" Reno guessed, hoping to back his friend into a corner, thinking back to the night at the villa in Costa del Sol.

Rude didn't answer, stubbornly keeping his back to Reno.

"Oho. So it's Aeris," Reno said slyly.

Reno's prompt was met with silence, as he'd expected. "Neither? You must like _someone_…" he pressed, knowing he'd only left Rude one option.

"Reno, shut up."

"C'mon….who do you like?" Reno asked, already knowing who it was.

Rude paused. "Tifa."

"Tifa?" Reno repeated, startled. "You like Tifa?"

"Yeah."

"But…what about…Poor Elena, I thought you and her were…"

"Elena likes Tseng."

"I never knew that!" Reno exclaimed. "When'd you find that out?"

Rude shrugged and evaded Reno's question. "Tseng likes the Ancient anyway."

"Her name's Aeris," Reno corrected absently, feeling a bit sorry for his friend. It had been rather obvious that he liked Elena; only to find out she was in love with Tseng. "Wow…that's rough, man…"

Rude's answer (if there was even going to be one) was cut off by a shriek and the sound of running feet. "They're here! Reno, Rude, they're really here!"

"Calm down, Elena," Reno said haughtily, flicking out his nightstick. "It's probably just another frog, like before."

"Reno, it's _true_!" Elena insisted, glancing over her shoulder.

Reno was about to make another disparaging comment about Elena's ability to tell the difference between small amphibious creatures and members of Avalanche, but Rude cut him off. "Go find Tseng, Elena."

Elena nodded and hurried off down the pathway, just as Reno heard the sound of three more people approaching. Grinning cockily, he stretched and swung his nightstick, deciding he felt a little more confident with Rude around. "Now don't go easy on them, just 'cuz they're wimpy girls."

"Calling the large black man and the member of SOLDIER girls. Very funny, Reno," Rude muttered sarcastically, adjusting his gloves and examining the green jewel mounted in the palm of one of his gloves.

"What's that?" Reno asked, still twirling his nightstick trying to relieve stress.

"Materia."

"Which is…?" Reno questioned, looking at the small sphere.

"It's Magic."

Reno laughed out loud and scoffed. "Yes, Rude. Maaaagic."

"Are we interrupting something?" a familiar voice asked.

"Not at all," Reno answered easily, dropping from his perch and stretching languidly. "We've been expecting you." Reno glanced up to see Cloud standing with his sword in hand, flanked by Aeris and another young girl that Reno didn't recognize.

Rude cleared his throat a little suspiciously, looking over the unexpected pair of young women.

"Oh _shit_," Reno groaned. "They _are_ girls…"

"Didn't stop you before…" Cloud grumbled, glaring viciously at Reno.

"That was different. I was at a slight disadvantage before. I'll hit anyone if I'm cornered," Reno answered smoothly. "But not anymore."

"Let's just get this over with," Aeris said quietly, hefting her staff

Reno felt a pang of guilt, remembering that he still owed Aeris. Furthermore, the new girl didn't seem to be much more than a child. She was eyeing Reno curiously, an oversized shuriken in one hand and several others tucked in her headband.

"Aeris is right. What're we waiting for?" Cloud advanced on Reno menacingly, sword held high. Aeris hung back and circled slowly around the impending battle, waiting for a chance to heal someone, but at the same time praying it didn't come.

Slightly apprehensive, Reno looked at Rude. "I can't hit that kid, she's just young…"

"I dunno, she looks vicious to me. I'll do it, if you want," Rude offered, putting up his fists.

"Yeah." Reluctantly, Reno started to circle Cloud slowly, tempted to turn tail and run, but standing his ground anyway.

"Yuffie, be careful," Aeris warned nervously, twisting her fingers around her staff

"Hah! He can't touch me, Aeris!" Yuffie boasted loudly, twirling her shuriken. "I'm the best! The _best_!"

In spite of himself, Reno grinned at how cocky the young woman was. In some respects, she reminded him of himself at that age. Extremely overconfident. For some reason, he didn't want her to have to learn the lessons he had. A narrowly avoided slash of Cloud's sword broke him out of his musing.

"Pay some attention to me," Cloud growled, driving his sword at Reno, who dodged to the side again.

"Sorry, Cloud, but I'm afraid my interests lie in the other direction," Reno retorted mockingly. "I have, however, heard of a place called the Honeybee Manor…a little lower class for my tastes, but I think you might meet some 'friends' there. I hear they cater to both sides of the fence."

Rude cursed as Yuffie slashed him across the chest with her shuriken and danced back out of his reach, prancing merrily and laughing at him. Reno tried to divert his attention again and fired a blaze of energy the end of his nightstick, the force of the bolt throwing Cloud back for a moment. As the mercenary recovered, Reno sidestepped another slash of his sword, deciding he was maybe getting better at this. Almost lazily, he shocked Cloud again.

"Cloud!" Aeris stepped forward, looking ready to cast a spell.

"Not now. Help Yuffie," Cloud said shortly.

Aeris watched fearfully as Cloud waved off her attempt at healing and turned to watch Yuffie. Backing off to let Cloud catch his breath, Reno spared the other match half a glance as well. Things appeared to be going fairly well for Yuffie, he noted, with mixed feelings. Rude was looking angry and slightly worn, numerous cuts and slashes marring his usually pristine suit.

"Hah! Can't touch me! Can't touch me!" Yuffie sang, ducking under another of Rude's punches. What she didn't expect, however, was the subsequent kick that caught her in the side and hurled her to the ground roughly.

Reno winced as the young shinobi hit the dirt painfully and wished he'd taken her on instead, by now, he figured he could have at least had her out of the fight, stunned, not killed. Startled, he just barely parried a blow from Cloud's sword with his nightstick, instinctively pushing the button on the handle and sending a current through the steel blade that knocked the mercenary off his feet.

"Yuffie!" Aeris cried. "Cure!" The same spell that Tifa had used on Cloud in Sector Sven wrapped around Yuffie and she got to her feet, looking angry.

"You'll pay for that!" Yuffie shouted furiously, focusing on a small gem in the armlet she wore. "Lightning!"

Electricity crackled in the air around Rude and snaked around his body, dropping him to his knees effectively. Reno froze as his partner fell, turning to Cloud with a slightly frenzied panic taking hold of his mind. Unconsciously, he stepped backward, definitely not liking the Mako glint in Cloud's eyes. What he liked even less however, was the way the mercenary's sword started to glow and pulse ominously.

"This is for Sector Seven," Cloud stated, slicing his sword downward and burying the blade in the soft earth of the pathway. A shockwave erupted from it and hit Reno with so much force it hurled him back against a tree. For the last few moments he could think coherently, he twisted his body and the tree struck his body on the side, instead of snapping his spine like a twig.

He felt the bones in his arm shatter as he hit the hard trunk of the tree. As he struck the ground, more pain erupted through his body and another shockwave rippled from his impact, throwing Rude to the ground as it hit, but with not nearly as much force.

There was a silence as Cloud pulled his blade from the ground. Reno looked up weakly to see the pair of Mako eyes glaring at him hatefully.

"Did ya…kill him, Cloud?" Yuffie asked hesitantly, eyeing Reno nervously.

"Not yet." Coldly, Cloud started forward, holding his sword in both hands. "Aeris, turn around. I'll try to make this quick."

Panicking, Reno tried desperately to move away from Cloud, but all he could manage was a weak groan and to roll onto his side, nearly killing himself with the pain that shot through his arm. He looked up fearfully, seeing Cloud's sword, Aeris's teary gaze, and the strangely pitying look in Yuffie's eyes. Inside, he prayed he could count on that pity.

"No!" Aeris exclaimed suddenly. "Cloud don't…not…don't kill him in cold blood."

"You saw Sector Seven, Aeris."

Flinching, Aeris nodded. "But this isn't the way. Please, Cloud, don't do it…"

"Yeah, Cloud," Yuffie agreed meeting Reno's eyes. "They lost, let 'em alone." Dropping her gaze, she dug the toe of her sneaker in the dirt. "They'll probably just die anyway, if we just go…" she mumbled.

"The only good enemy is a dead enemy," Cloud proclaimed, raising his sword again.

"No!" Aeris said firmly. "We're leaving now, Cloud."

Reno closed his eyes and prayed, more sincerely than he'd ever prayed in his life. The sword stroke didn't come and he heard boots crunching on gravel as Cloud grudgingly moved on. He breathed a sigh of relief and thought he heard a clinking of glass on rock. Something touched his fingertips and he opened his eyes to see a small round vial, a healing potion. Evidently it had been dropped by one of the passing party. "Aeris…" Reno whispered dazedly, closing his fingers around the vial and promptly passing out from sheer pain.

--------------------------------------------

Reno pushed himself dizzily off the ground and looked around the deserted pathway. The sun was shining and the wind was still, but Rude was nowhere to be seen. His right arm was almost numb with pain and he cradled it gently. Slightly nervous, Reno glanced around. "Rude?"

There was no answer, but the leaves on one of the bushes rustled slightly.

"Hey, Rude, you ok?" Reno asked, walking up to the bush and wondering what he would do if his friend were badly hurt. He noticed he still had the potion in his clenched right hand and hoped he could make use of it. "Rude?"

A frog hopped out of the bushes and Reno sighed. "Rude, where in the hell are you? Not nice to ditch me like this…"

With no real direction, he started to wander down the path, not sure where it led. He seemed to remember it leading to Gongaga, but the memory was hazy. He wished he could make his arm stop hurting, but he gritted his teeth and pressed on anyway.

"Hey, Turk!" a menacing voice called and Reno turned to see Cloud, standing in the middle of the path behind him, holding his buster sword in both hands.

"Cloud…" Reno backed a few steps away. "Get away from me."

With a maniacal grin, Cloud advanced. "Would you like to die, Turk?"

"Hell no," Reno protested, stumbling back a few more feet. "Leave me alone, what'd I ever do t'you?"

"You destroyed Sector Seven," Cloud stated.

"I didn't destroy Sector Seven!" Reno objected again, horrified that Cloud could even suggest such a thing. "I'd never…"

"You killed all those people."

"No! I…Tseng told me to…I just did what he told me…That's all!"

"And the plate fell because of it. So thousands of people died," Cloud said grimly, raising his sword. "Time for some justice."

Reno realized it was hopeless to argue and took off, running blindly. He abandoned the path and crashed through the forest, hearing the sound of running feet behind him. His arm hurt worse than ever and he wasn't sure why he hadn't collapsed yet. Something inside told him Cloud was gaining, but he didn't dare look back. Suddenly, he tripped and pitched forward, attempting to brace himself for a painful impact with the ground, but instead hitting water. It was ice cold and he was sinking fast. Panicking, he struggled to get to the surface, but something held him back and pulled him down. The frigid darkness of the water started to be overtaken by the unfeeling blackness of unconsciousness, when Reno suddenly realized he was lying face down on solid ground.

Getting up, Reno stared around the riverbank he washed up on plaintively for any signs of a familiar face. He would have given anything to see Rude, Tseng, Elena, or even Aeris, but the forest was deserted.

"To hell with all of you," Reno spat distastefully, grudgingly setting off in one direction. The pain from his arm had spread and his entire body ached. He wasn't sure whether he'd walked for hours or minutes, when the sun began to set. Soon, it was dark and he could only see for a dozen feet in front of him. Relief washed over him as he saw a figure standing in the darkness. "Who's there?" he called hopefully, praying his mind wasn't playing tricks on him.

The figure turned as Reno approached, and he froze as he saw two eyes glowing malevolently in the darkness. Hastily, he stumbled backward, backing into a wall. All of a sudden there was nothing but solid rock behind him as the figure drew his sword and came forward.

"Cloud…please…" Reno mumbled, pressing his back against the cliff behind him.

"Justice will be done," Cloud declared, holding his sword up again. Reno shuddered as he saw that it was coated in bright red blood.

"I never meant for any of this to happen," Reno tried to explain, dropping to his knees pleadingly.

"You'll die in the end, Turk…" Cloud lifted his sword for a killing stroke. "Let it be at my hands…"

"Cloud, no!" a girl's voice suddenly protested and Aeris came out of the shadows, standing protectively between Reno and Cloud. "This isn't the way!"

Reno pushed himself off the ground and leaned against the stone behind him, breathing heavily.

"Out of my way, Ancient," Cloud ordered, glaring at Aeris.

"No!" Aeris folded her arms and shook her head, ponytail swinging.

"So be it." Without warning, Cloud plunged his sword through Aeris's midsection and drew it back out again, smiling grimly as she pressed her hands against her stomach disbelievingly.

"Aeris!" Reno cried as the young girl took a few shuffling steps backward and collapsed against him. Shocked, he pulled her slender body close and held her tightly. "Aeris…"

Aeris looked up and smiled gently. Reno closed his eyes and hugged her closer, ignoring the pain in his arm and pressing his cheek against her soft hair. He could feel her blood seeping from her body as life slowly left her. Drawing back, to get another look at her face, he found he wasn't holding Aeris anymore, but Yuffie. Her skin was ashen and her dark brown hair fell in her eyes, their vivacious black dulled and muted in death. In her hand was a vial identical to the one Reno had, but filled with blood. She looked young and frightened and Reno felt an intense hatred towards Cloud.

"Justice," the mercenary finally spoke, lifting his sword, "comes at the cost of many…" With these words, he drove his sword home again, piercing Yuffie's back and plunging the blade into Reno's chest. Things started to grow dark again and Reno managed to whisper Yuffie's name before brightness enveloped him.

--------------------------------------------

"Reno!" a voice cried and Reno felt spasms of pain shooting through his arm. "Oh, Reno, _please_ be ok…"

There was sunlight above, beating down and piercing Reno's eyelids. Weakly, he turned his head to try and stop the light from shining straight through to the back of his head. _"Aww…shit. Heaven. I'm &#%$ not gonna be **here **very long…"_

"Wake up, Reno…please…" a slightly hysterical female voice begged and Reno finally placed the agonizing stabbing in his arm as someone shaking his shoulder.

"Yuffie?" Reno asked stupidly, finally opening his eyes. The first thing that came into focus was his own hand, clutching a small glass bottle.

"Reno? Reno, it's me, Elena!" Elena exclaimed as Reno looked up at her dazedly. "Reno, are you hurt real bad?"

"Elena…what's going on?" Reno asked, trying to sit up, putting his weight on the elbow of his left arm as he pushed himself into a semi-sitting position.

Biting her lip, Elena helped him sit up and lean back against the tree trunk behind him. "Are you ok?"

Weakly, Reno forced a laugh. "I'm not going to be dying any time soon, if that's what you mean…my arm hurts, though…"

"Which arm?" Elena questioned, gently touching Reno's forearm.

Reno flinched and gritted his teeth. "That one."

Elena jerked her fingers back guiltily and wrung her hands. "I'm sorry! What do I do?"

"Where's…ow…Christ…Rude?"

"He went back to Gongaga to find Tseng…Tseng sent me here to see if you guys were ok…and when I got here, Rude was…and I…he said to stay here and he would go get Tseng to help and…" Elena's words tumbled out in a rush and she looked near tears.

"That moron," Reno sighed, shifting his arm a tiny bit and trying to sit up straighter. "God, why'd you let him go, Elena? He's just as bad as I am…"

Elena shook her head vehemently. "No, he used a Cure materia on himself a bit and he's kinda better…oh, Reno, are you sure you aren't really badly hurt? Can I make it better somehow?"

"It's all right, Elena…I'll survive…" Reno tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

For a few moments, Elena was silent, wringing her hands nervously. "Reno, what's that?"

"Hmm?" Reno opened his eyes and looked at the healing potion tucked in his hand. "Dunno. Just a potion, I guess…"

"You should drink it, you'll feel better," Elena encouraged, holding out her hand. The small bottle was clenched tightly in Reno's fingers and his arm felt like it would fall off every time he moved at all.

"No good." Reno shook his head. "I can't move my fingers."

"Have you tried?" Elena asked, very lightly touching the back of Reno's hand. "I'm sure it'll help…where'd you get it?"

"I dunno," Reno answered, shrugging his shoulders and wincing.

"Can I try and get it outta your hand? I mean, I'll be real careful, but I think it'll hurt anyways, but you'll feel better in the end so…"

Reno held up his good hand to stop Elena's chatter. "Yeah, yeah, just do it…" Reno shifted and turned away as Elena gently pulled at his fingers. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes. He couldn't feel exactly what Elena was doing, but it hurt worse than anything he'd ever felt before.

"Got it!" Elena pronounced triumphantly, holding up the small vial, filled with an innocent looking blue liquid. "I'm sorry Reno…"

"Yeah, whatever. S'ok." Holding out his hand expectantly, he took the small bottle and examined it stupidly for a moment. "Cap," he sighed, handing the vial back to Elena.

"Oh! Oh, right!" Hastily, Elena unscrewed the cap and placed the vial in Reno's hand. "Sorry."

"Thanks." Hesitantly, Reno lifted the small flask to his lips. "Cheers, Elena."

Elena smiled awkwardly and exhaled as Reno swallowed to the liquid. "How's it taste?"

"Wretched," Reno answered, making a face. "Simply awful. And I don't feel any better."

"Give it time, Reno," Elena said reassuringly.

Sighing, Reno leaned back against the tree and tried to imagine that his arm felt better. "Probably poison."

Elena sat down in front of him and held onto the toes of her shoes, rocking back and forth slightly. "So what happened in the fight?"

"Lots of stuff. Thrashed again…"

Elena put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Rough, huh?"

"It was awful. Just god %$#& awful. You ever been beaten, Elena?"

"No…no, I haven't been around long enough…"

"You're lucky. I've been beaten twice and it's hard as hell to handle. Cloud is the worst." Reno shuddered. "God, he scares me…"

"Scares you?" Elena asked, puzzled. "Reno, Turks don't get scared."

"Yeah, Elena. Turks don't cry either," Reno answered scornfully. "We are _not_ invincible."

"I know that…but…they're just a bunch of ragtag terrorists. We're _elite_. Surely we can beat them?"

"Maybe," Reno sighed, shifting his arm. The pain from before was settling into a sort of surreal numbness and he felt rather detached. "I'm kinda tired."

"Ok, Reno." Elena nodded sympathetically. "You can go to sleep if you want, Tseng'll be here soon."

"Yeah…Elena?"

"What?" Elena asked.

"What…what happened to Sector Seven?"

Elena frowned. "Don't you remember? The plate fell. It was a really bad accident. Shinra sent rescue crews and everything, but they didn't find any survivors…from underneath the plate at least."

"Why did it fall?" Reno asked, already knowing that the answer he received would be a lie.

"They say that the self-destruct mechanism malfunctioned. Reno, why're you worried about this anyways?"

"I…I dunno…" Reno closed his eyes before Elena could see the shock he knew he wouldn't be able to conceal.

"It wasn't your fault, Reno," Elena said gently, touching her friend's forehead. "Tseng told me about it. Any longer, and you would've been killed. You couldn't have stopped it."

"Yeah…"

--------------------------------------------

Reno sat sulking in the middle of his apartment, hungry, bored, and alone. Rude was at the hospital, having stitches taken out and Reno had made the foolish proclamation that he would be fine on his own for a couple hours. He hadn't taken into account however, how little he could do with his left hand. His right arm was encased in a plaster cast and hung useless in a sling, making it nigh on impossible for him to feed himself. He reflected on how extremely boring it had been to go for two weeks without work, while his arm healed. In his opinion, his arm was perfectly fine and he should get out of the cast sooner rather than later.

There was a soft beeping and the door opened, revealing Rude and Elena. "Hiya, Reno," Elena said cheerily, waving. "Rude's back."

"Hmph." Reno kept his back turned to the door and refused to acknowledge his partner.

"Good afternoon, Reno," Rude greet his partner wearily. "Are you mad about something?"

"I'm hungry," Reno complained. "I haven't eaten since you left…"

"You said you would be fine on your own," Rude reminded him, easing out of his jacket and handing it to Elena.

"Well, I wasn't," Reno grumbled.

"Oh. I'm going to bed now."

"What? Hey! Rude, c'mon, I'm starving here!" Reno pleaded.

"I'll feed you, Reno!" Elena volunteered. "What d'you wanna eat?"

Reno muttered something that he thought was inaudible, but Rude frowned and threw a shoe at him. "Watch your mouth."

Whimpering, Reno crawled under the coffee table and rubbed the side of his head, where the shoe had struck him. "Go away."

"Reno…" Elena began, coming forward as though to pull Reno out from under the low table, but Rude caught her shoulder. "Right. Well, I'll be making you lunch then. You can come out if you're hungry."

For about five minutes, Reno fully intended to stay under the table and sulk, but he finally crawled out from underneath and sat resentfully at the kitchen table, waiting for Elena to finish cooking. "Where's Rude?"

"In his room, sleeping," Elena answered. "You can go in tomorrow and get your cast off, you know that? Oh, and the garage in Junon called. Your car is ready and waiting to be picked up."

Reno's eyes widened. "Shit, my car! I forgot all about it…I feel so guilty…"

Elena poked her head out of the kitchen with a pot of soup in hand and grinned at Reno. "Aww…it's ok, Reno. We'll have it sent up, ok?"

"Not on your life! No one touches that car but me!" Reno protested vehemently.

"All right…here, how about we go get your cast off, then we get a chopper ride down to Junon to pick up your car?"

Reno paused and tried very hard to think of something wrong with Elena's idea. "O…k…" he agreed slowly.

"Good. Now, here's your soup, I'm gonna go check on Rude." Elena set a bowl down in front of Reno and handed him a spoon. "Good luck."

"Bite me," Reno snapped, starting in on his soup, albeit with some difficulty. Elena returned a few moments later and got herself a cup of coffee from the kitchen, sitting down across from Reno and sipping it thoughtfully. "So how's Rude?"

"Sleeping like a baby," Elena answered, smiling. "I left him a note, if he doesn't wake up before we go." She paused and then added critically. "You, however, are eating like a baby. That is _not _acceptable. D'you wanna bib, snookums?"

"Elena, go throw yourself out the window," Reno growled menacingly.

"Hmph. You're lucky Rude isn't awake."

Reno muttered something into his soup and resumed eating quietly. "What d'you think about Rude?"

"Rude's nice to me," Elena answered, grinning. "Tseng's nice to me too…you…we need to work on, but that's ok."

"Glad you feel that way…do you…like Rude?"

"Of course I like Rude. He's nice to me."

"I mean do you _like_ Rude?" Reno pressed, watching Elena intently.

"Well, I…gosh…I dunno…why the hell am I telling you?" Elena finished suspiciously.

Reno attempted a devilishly innocent look. "Because I asked?"

"Who do _you_ like, Reno?" Elena countered. "Someone from Avalanche, huh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Reno answered arrogantly.

"Oh no? Then who's Yuffie?" Elena asked slyly. "C'mon, Reno, admit it."

Reno felt his cheeks grow hot, recalling the rather rampant fantasies he'd been having for the past three weeks. "There's nothing to admit."

"You're blushing like crazy, Reno. Your face is almost as red as your hair," Elena giggled, yanking a strand of Reno's hair. "So who's Yuffie exactly? I remember you said her name, back on the path to Gongaga…"

Reno didn't answer and rubbed at his eyes with his good hand, wishing Elena would turn into a slobbering monster or something else he could handle.

"Is she pretty? Slender and blonde, with blue eyes and angel-pink lips?" Elena asked, batting her eyelashes and rolling her eyes at Reno. "Or is she too old for you? Is that why you're embarrassed?"

Reno resisted the urge to bang his head against the kitchen table. "She's short. And she's not blonde, no way in hell. Her hair is…darkish brown and she has black eyes. Her hair is short too…and she's not too old for me, she's %$#& sixteen…" Reno sighed.

"Aww…and you're %$#%$ twenty-four…" Elena patted his hand sympathetically, but then brightened. "Oh well. We all have our little fantasies that will never come true. I have a thing for Cloud, but that won't amount to anything."

"Cloud?" Reno shuddered. "I hate Cloud."

Elena shrugged. "He's very attractive. And _very _built."

"So's Rude," Reno pointed out.

"Well, whatever. We gotta go." Elena got up and picked up her purse, rummaging for her keys. "We'll take my car to the hospital, then the helicopter from Shinra HQ, then your car back to Midgar."

"Sounds like a plan," Reno agreed, grabbing his jacket and pulling it on awkwardly, nodding his thanks as Elena helped him.

--------------------------------------------

Reno tentatively flexed his arm a couple times as Elena backed her small sports car out of the parking lot and drove towards Shinra Headquarters. "Thank god for Mako."

"How's it feel?" Elena asked, halting at a stoplight.

"Good enough, I guess. I'll get by," Reno answered, shrugging. "Let's just go get my car, ok?"

"Sure. What's your car like?" Elena questioned casually, changing lanes easily.

Reno's eyes lit up and he went on in glowing detail about his car, from its year, to its make, to its paint color. By the time they reached the Shinra HQ, Elena was looking sorry she'd asked. Reno continued to talk about the latest issue of "Midgar Auto Enthusiast" and a fascinating article he'd read about a certain type of engine that he intended to have put into his own car.

"Reno, speak English or shut up," Elena finally sighed as they climbed into the helicopter, lost among the mechanical terms and big names Reno was using.

"Hmph. Fine." Reno folded his arms and stared out the window moodily. "God, I miss my car…"

Elena didn't answer and watched the ground fly by beneath the chopper. "I like flying," she conceded, as they neared Junon.

Reno grinned and decided to teach Elena just what it meant to "fly" as soon as he got his car back. The helicopter slowly settled down, sending up a cloud of dust. Reno hopped out with Elena close behind and looked towards the dilapidated garage at the edge of the town.

"My car had better be ok," Reno growled, starting quickly towards the garage. "Or I'm spilling some blood."

"Reno…" Elena sighed as Reno opened the door of the office next to the garage.

"Where's my car?" Reno demanded of the greasy looking, middle-aged man who stood at the counter, picking his teeth with an oily dipstick.

"Who's car?" the attendant asked dumbly.

"_My _car," Reno answered through clenched teeth.

"Could y' describe it?"

"Red, 1924 Ultima convertible. If it were in a Playboy magazine, it would be the centerfold. That car is better than sex."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Reno, don't be disgusting."

"I'm _not_ being disgusting. I've had my share of sex and…never mind. Where the hell's my car?"

The man at the counter grunted and took a key ring from a nail in the wall. "Follow me."

"_Thank _you," Reno responded, putting an irritated emphasis on the "thank". Following the man through a door to the dark garage, Reno caught sight of a car, hidden by a white cover. Taking a few, eager steps forward, he whisked the sheet off and sighed happily, falling in love with the car all over again. All the nicks and scratches in the paint were gone, touched up flawlessly. Grudgingly, Reno admitted that the garage wasn't as bad as it appeared.

The attendant gruffly cleared his throat as Reno examined his car, running his hands over the hood and rediscovering it's every detail. "S'cuse me, sir, but there's still the unpleasant matter o' the bill?"

Reno chuckled and pulled a handful of cash out of his wallet, tossing it to the man. "That oughta hold you. C'mon, Elena." Sliding into the driver's seat and taking a few moments to get a feeling for the steering wheel again, Reno sighed happily. Elena climbed in and pulled the door shut behind her.

"Open the door, please," Reno requested, tone neutrally polite.

Grunting, the attendant pressed a button on the wall and the garage door slid upward, slowly. It was apparently too slow for Reno's tastes and he laughed and threw the car forward, flooring the gas pedal. Elena shrieked as the vehicle nearly shattered the still rising garage door, missing it by scarcely an inch. The car tore down the dirt road out of Junon, aimed in the general direction of Midgar, Elena's wild shrieks of what was either terror or joy mingling with the roar of the engine.

--------------------------------------------

Reno climbed out of the car and slapped a hand on the hood delightedly. "What'd I tell you, Elena? Better than sex!"

Elena giggled and got out of the car. "Yeah, it was fun. From the donuts on the plain, your charming attempt at a wheelie, and the entire police chase through downtown Midgar. How on earth did we lose them?"

Secretively, Reno tapped the side of his nose and patted the hood. "Radar scrambler. They can't touch me!"

Elena fell silent as Reno started up the stairs to his apartment building. "Reno…what you said about Rude…does he like me?"

Pausing, Reno turned around and regarded Elena seriously. "Yeah. I think so."

"Oh." The awkward silence came again and Reno sighed.

"Well…good night, Elena. I'll see you later."

--------------------------------------------

Reno idly bit the end off a stick pretzel and leaned back comfortably in his chair, looking around the recent addition to Shinra's sixty-fifth floor. Apparently there had been a lot going on behind his back and now Murphy's was an in building bar and lounge, catering to Shinra employees. Stella proudly ran the counter, chatting and making small talk with all manner of employees, counseling heartbroken secretaries, giving business advice to some of the executives, drinking various businessmen under the table, and generally making herself popular. For some reason, Rude had a special table reserved in the back corner of the bar and Stella handled all his orders personally, also providing a special discount. Reno wasn't certain why, but when he asked, Rude just smiled and said it was a long story.

The spry old bartender made her way up to the table, balancing a tray with two wine glasses on it as well as she had when she was in her twenties. "Here you are, boys, the house special. Just came in from Mideel. Very tropical and exotic."

"Thanks, Stella," Rude said graciously, taking his wine glass and toasting the waitress. "You're still as graceful as ever."

Reno grinned as the waitress curtsied. "And as beautiful. You and me, Stell. We'll run away to one of those little tropical islands and have some fun."

"Maybe if I was thirty years younger, honey," Stella teased. "And not until you can drink me under the table."

Reno shook his head. "I'll get around to it. I've seen you thrash too many hard drinkers to risk my dignity. Gotta practice up first."

"You tell me when you're ready, sweetheart." Stella bustled off to another table.

Chuckling, Reno took a small swallow of the deep burgundy liquid and smiled. "She's spoiling us."

"Someone has to," Rude answered placidly.

"True. So what's the word with Avalanche?" Reno asked casually.

"Not much. Rufus came back fuming because they commandeered both the best pilot and the best biplane in the world. On the plus side, they put Palmer in traction."

"Mixed blessing. Would've been better if they'd gotten Scarlet," Reno scowled. As a rule, he didn't object to the female population showing a little skin, but for some reason Scarlet disgusted him. It was perhaps the fact that she was almost pure evil, but he wanted nothing to do with her.

"One should not speak so openly of wanting to kill Shinra employees," Rude cautioned. "It's not as allowable as it used to be."

"What else're they up to?"

"Tseng tells me they're researching the Cetra."

"Who?"

"The Ancients. Aeris is one," Rude explained.

"Why? I thought we were after Sephiroth."

"Apparently, he's also an Ancient." Rude shook his head. "It's unnecessarily labyrinthine."

Reno held up a hand. "Whoa, man. Four syllable rule, remember? I'm drinking."

"I'm sorry," Rude apologized. "I can't help it."

"I'll say," Reno agreed. "When're Tseng and Elena getting back?"

Rude paused and Reno wondered if he'd hit a nerve. "They should be back fairly late. Elena says they're going out for dinner together."

"Oh." Reno wasn't entirely certain what to say, or if it was even a good time to say anything. He was about to attempt conversation when his cellphone rang. Almost relieved, he pulled it out and flipped it open. "Hello?…Hey, Elena, what's up?…no, he's not with us…Elena, of course I'm sure…oh, he did?…you lucky girl…well, have you called him?…uh huh…ok…no…Elena, no…we're on our break, for Christ's sake… Elena….Elena, please…c'mon, no crying…I'm sorry…come on Elena…all right, all right, we're coming. We'll be on the roof in ten minutes. You aren't there, we aren't going, got it?"

"You made her cry?" Rude asked as Reno hung up, threat in his tone thinly veiled.

Reno held up his hands defensively. "She _threatened _to cry. Now hang on, I have to make a call." Quickly, Reno dialed Tseng's number. The phone rang seven or eight times with no response. "Hmm. All right, Rude, let's go."

"So Tseng's not there?" Rude questioned, laying a couple bills on the table.

"Nope." Reno downed the last of his wine in one swallow and stood up.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?" Rude muttered. "It's terribly bad form."

"Waste is a mortal sin," Reno declared righteously, making for the elevator.

"It is not," Rude muttered as the doors slid open and Reno jabbed the button for the top floor. "Are you worried about him?"

"A bit," Reno answered, shrugging. "Not really. Tseng can take care of himself. But if it'll shut Elena up, I'll go."

Rude looked like he was about to comment, but remained silent. The elevator made a slight dinging noise as the reached the helipad and Reno stepped out. There was a helicopter waiting on the edge of the roof beside the small structure at the top of the building where the pilots stayed between flights. Reno knocked confidently on the door of the little lounge and entered the small, smoky bar. "Anyone wanna make a run down near Mideel?"

A burly looking pilot stood up. "Sure, Reno. Anything for Shinra's baby Turk."

Reno laughed with the rest of the pilots. Normally, he didn't take razzing well, but he liked most of the pilots and got along well with all of them. "Shut your trap, old timer. Us young'ns can run circles around you."

Roughly, the older man grabbed Reno in a headlock. "Yeah? You think so, Turklet?"

"Lemme go, Ernie. We gotta deadline and we have to pick someone up," Reno protested, still laughing.

"All right, let's go. My bird's fuelled up anyway." With Reno in tow, the pilot slipped out the door and clambered into the helicopter where Rude was waiting.

"Head to Midgar Towers," Rude directed.

"Roger." After a few moments, the helicopter lifted from the helipad and sped off in the direction of Elena's apartment.

Reno spotted the young woman's familiar figure from a distance and tapped the pilot on the shoulder. "Don't bother setting down, we'll drop a ladder."

"Whatever you say, squirt."

Reno rolled his eyes and got up, sliding open the door of the helicopter and kicking the rope ladder that lay rolled up by the door outside. The rope suddenly stopped jerking and blowing in the wind as Elena climbed up and Reno held out a hand to pull her in.

"Thanks," she said, after the door had been shut. "I was worried you would change your mind."

"Nah," Reno said casually, taking one of the seats. "But when we get there and Tseng is mad because he's perfectly capable of taking care of himself, it's your fault."

"I take full responsibility, gotcha," Elena agreed. "Hi, Rude."

"Good evening, Elena."

There was another of the awkward silences that tended to crop up when the three Turks were together in confined spaces. Reno cleared his throat and clapped his hands together brusquely. "So…wanna play I-Spy, Elena?" Reno proposed jokingly.

"Yay, my favorite! Sure!" Elena exclaimed. "I spy, with my little eye something that is…blue!"

Reno sighed and settled down for a long flight. He wished he'd had the foresight to bring something shiny with which to distract Elena. "Umm…Rude's suit?"

Elena put on her best pouty face. "Damn you, Reno."

--------------------------------------------

"Umm…ok…I spy…something…purple," Elena said slyly as the helicopter flew nearer and nearer to the Temple of the Ancients.

"Purple?" Reno repeated skeptically. "BS. I don't think there's a single purple thing in this helicopter." Nonetheless, he peered around the helicopter, scanning every surface closely for about five minutes. "Could I have a hint?"

"Mmm…'k. It's on the front half of the chopper." Elena smirked.

Slightly frustrated, Reno stared hard towards the cockpit, looking for something purple. After another two or three minutes, he gave up. "Tell me."

Elena stood up smugly and tapped the words on a warning label pasted on the metal wall of the chopper. "I win."

"That's blue!" Reno protested. "You do _not _win."

"I do so! It's purple, you colorblind bastard!" Elena persisted.

"It's not purple!" Reno got up and looked around. "That's blue!" Moving to stand by Elena, he held up the arm of his jacket next to the words. "See? That one might have a _bit _of purple in it, but it's far closer to blue."

"Nuh uh! Next to your jacket, it looks even more purple! Are you calling me a cheater?" Elena finished dangerously.

Reno folded his arms and glared down at Elena. "Maybe I am."

"You better hope not, jerk," Elena threatened, shoving Reno's shoulder.

"Hands to yourself, shorty," Reno scowled, glaring fiercely and lightly slapping the back of Elena's hand.

"Oooh…you stupid jackass, it's purple! You just can't admit you _lost_!" Elena punctuated the last world with a solid punch to Reno's shoulder.

"I said, keep your hands to yourself, you little…" Reno tried to think of a word that was more severe than 'sissy', but not quite as harsh as 'bitch'. "You little skank."

Elena gasped and stamped her foot. "Rude! Rude, didya hear what he called me?"

Rude grunted and looked up from staring out the window. "Leave me out of this."

Irritated, Elena turned to the pilot. "Ernie? Ernie, Reno called me a bad name!"

"Reno, apologize to Elena, right now," the pilot instructed with mock sternness, as he steered the chopper over the forests near the temple.

"No! Ernie, 'zat purple or blue?" Reno asked, tapping the wording.

The pilot didn't turn around. "It's purple, Reno, now apologize."

"You didn't even look!" Reno whined as Elena stuck her tongue out at him. "Everybody always takes Elena's side because she's a &%$# girl!"

Elena glared at him and smacked him in the back of the head. "Watch your mouth, bastard!"

"She hit me! Ernie, Elena _hit _me!"

"Don't make me come back there!" the older man roared. "Now you two kiss and make up."

"I can't kiss _him_, he's…he's…well, just look at him," Elena said scathingly.

"You couldn't _handle _me," Reno scoffed, turning around and crossing his arms. "Besides, I like my women a little more…busty."

Elena gasped again and delivered a sharp kick to Reno's back, throwing him forward onto the floor of the chopper. "You remember back in Costa del Sol, Reno? What I said I wanted to do to Rufus?"

Reno paled slightly and gulped. "Sorry Elena. You're right, you win, it's purple."

Ernie chuckled. "Musta been a pretty hefty threat to back Reno down."

Reno got off the ground and absently pulled out his nightstick. "We landing soon?"

"We've been circling for the past five minutes while you and Elena sorted out your differences. You wanna land now?"

"Better now than never," Reno answered as the helicopter started to set down.

Elena bit her lip. "D'you think Tseng's ok?"

Reno sighed. "Of course he is. I don't know why you dragged us all the way out here." Tugging open the door he stepped out and stretched. "We'll be back in a bit, Ernie. If we aren't out in an hour you may wanna call back up."

"Okey dokey, squirt." The pilot gave a mock salute as Rude and Elena climbed out of the chopper.

Reno started around at the lush forest that surrounded the clearing where the temple stood. A rickety rope bridge crossed the chasm. "Well, let's go."

Elena giggled and ran ahead across the bridge, heedless of the obviously dangerous potential a rickety rope bridge presented. "C'mon slow pokes!"

Reno eyed the bridge dubiously and paused before crossing. "After you, Rude," he said courteously.

Rude grunted and crossed the bridge without hesitation, seeming to step harder on the rough wooden planks just to prove his point. Still a bit reluctant, Reno followed and tried hard not to look down into the deep gouge in the earth below.

"Reno, you're such a chicken," Elena scoffed starting up the temple stairs as Reno got back on solid ground.

"Am not…" Reno muttered, following Elena. The stairs were steep and there were a lot of them and he stopped to rest and catch his breath midway up the climb.

"Pick up the pace, boys!" Elena called as Rude stopped to wait for his friend.

"Elena, the altitude is different here! Air's thinner and all that other nonsensical crap!" Reno retorted, massaging a stitch in his side.

"You're just getting old."

"Bite me," Reno grumbled. "Well then, you go on ahead!"

"Maybe I will!" Elena ran the rest of the way to the top of the temple. Reno saw her draw her gun and grudgingly got up and followed up the stairs, keeping his hands on the steps in front of him for support, as the ascent was steep, practically vertical, in Reno's estimation.

"Rude! Reno!" Elena screamed.

Reno looked over as Rude rushed past him, taking the steps two at a time without breaking a sweat and getting to the top easily. "Psycho," Reno muttered, picking up the pace and reaching the flat spot at the top of the temple. His instincts told him something was very, very wrong, but he didn't want to hazard any guesses. Cautiously, he made his way to the entrance of the temple. "Elena?" Stepping inside, he froze. "Oh…god…" Elena was crouched beside Tseng's still form, desperately trying to prompt a response from her leader. Reno could already tell there wasn't going to be one. Tseng's skin was ashen pale and Reno couldn't even bring himself to look at the gruesome wound in his chest.

Elena looked up, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Reno, help! Please…do something…"

"I…Elena, I don't think I _can _do anything." Kneeling down beside the young woman he gently touched the back of Tseng's hand. His skin was like ice, lifeless. "I…I'm sorry, Elena, we're too late…"

"No!" Elena cried, reaching out and pushing Reno away. "Rude? Rude, you help me!"

Anger flashed across Reno's features for a second. "Elena, stop it! He's dead, all right? Dead! So just…we can't…just stop it," Reno trailed off, losing drive and closing his eyes.

"No…Reno, please…he can't…we were…" Elena's protests gave way to helpless sobbing and she pulled Tseng's body close and wept. "Who would do this?"

"Who do you think?" Reno asked bitterly. "The poor guy's been gutted like a fish. Who do we know with a sword that big?"

"Cloud…I'll kill him," Elena promised fiercely.

"We'll all kill him, Elena," Rude said softly.

Elena was silent for a few moments and then sobs began to shake her body again and she clung tightly to the body of her fallen comrade. Her crying began to get hysterical and Reno slapped a hand to his forehead in spite of himself. "Oh great…Elena! Not now! Go outside and get the helicopter!"

Elena looked up for a moment with what seemed almost pure hatred in her eyes. Blood stained her cheek where she'd pressed her face against Tseng's chest and her blue eyes were red rimmed. "No."

Reno sighed and backed off. "Rude…would you? I really don't know what to do…let's just get back to HQ…"

Rude nodded and scooped up the handgun Elena had dropped on the floor. Reno closed his eyes and leant against one of the pillars as Rude stepped outside and fired three gunshots in rapid succession. Reopening his eyes, he touched a comforting hand to Elena's shoulder as he heard the helicopter coming closer.

"He's coming," Rude stated, reentering the room. "What now?"

Reno didn't answer and carefully pulled Elena to her feet and away from Tseng's body, letting her sink to the floor and continue sobbing. "Gimme a hand, Rude. No way we're just leaving him like this."

"All right, Reno." Rude made a move to pull the body off the ground, but paused and turned to Elena. Kneeling down, he embraced her gently. Elena whimpered softly and clung to him for a few moments before he let her go. "Reno, take care of her. I can handle Tseng."

Reno nodded and helped Elena to her feet, sliding an arm around her shoulders and hugging her tight. "C'mon, Elena. Let's get back."

--------------------------------------------

Reno climbed out of the helicopter before it had even fully set down on the ground. He heard people shouting after him, but he didn't care. His nerves were shot. It was finally starting to sink in that Tseng was actually dead and he didn't want to think about that. Taking the steps on the stairwell two at a time he got to the elevator door and jabbed the down button, anxiously running a hand through his hair as a small bell dinged. Trying to keep his breathing steady, he stepped into the mercifully empty elevator and pressed the button for the sixty-fifth floor. Reno drummed his fingers against the wall of the elevator as it made its way down, seeming to take forever. Finally the door slid open and he hurried thankfully into the dim light of Murphy's. It was just closing and Reno's heartbeat quickened as he prayed Stella was still there.

"Hey, Reno," the bartender called, looking up from wiping down the bar with a dishrag. There was still a fluorescent light gleaming above the counter and Stella looked like she was getting ready to leave. "Where'd you take off to?"

"Nowhere in particular," Reno said hastily. "Could I get a drink?"

"Well, I was just packing up…" Stella met Reno's eyes and seemed to catch the slightly frenzied look behind them, "…but for you, Reno, anything," she finished, turning to get a bottle and a glass from behind the counter.

"Thanks, Stell." Reno sat down at one of the stools and continued drumming his fingers on the countertop, eyes darting around the darkened room.

"Here you are, dear," Stella said, setting a glass in front of him.

Relieved, Reno picked it up and downed it in one swallow. "Thank you."

"Reno, your hands are shaking," Stella noted, tone concerned. "Something the matter?"

Reno forced a laugh and hoped it didn't sound too hysterical. "Just a bit of airsickness, that's all. I'm fine. Say, Stella, you know how you said I could try and drink you under the table on of these days? Can we try now? I think I can do it, y'know…" Reno didn't like the way his words tumbled out in a rush, but he looked at the bartender hopefully.

"Sure, Reno, sure, except there's a three hundred Gil cover charge and we usually do it with a bunch of spectators, maybe tomorrow night would be better?" Stella suggested carefully.

"No, now is good. Let's do it now." Reno pulled out his wallet and emptied the contents onto the counter. "Is that about good? I can make it up tomorrow if it isn't, or I could ask Rude for money. D'you take credit, Stell?"

"No, Reno, it's fine," Stella assured him, fixing him with a serious stare as she pushed the money to one side. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine!" Reno repeated. "Let's go, come on."

"All right, all right." Stella poured Reno another drink and one for herself. "Cheers, dear."

Reno nodded and swallowed the contents of the shot glass, not knowing or really caring what it was. It didn't seem to be having the usual numbing effect, his senses were still sharp with adrenaline and his emotions still raged about. "Say, you have anything harder than this? I mean, to make things go faster and all. I'm sure you have places to be…"

"I don't know that you want anything much stiffer than this, Reno," Stella cautioned, keeping her eyes fixed on the young Turk as she finished off her drink. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing wrong. You're just scared I'll beat you. C'mon Stell, gimme something really hard," Reno demanded, trying to block the images of Tseng that kept roiling to the surface of his mind, punctuated by visions of Cloud with his bloodstained sword. "Please, Stella…I need this."

The waitress hesitated. "All right, Reno, all right," she finally said, tone soothing. "Just a minute, ok?" Stella turned to put the bottle of scotch she had taken out away, but she felt Reno reach out and grab her shoulder, grip a little tight for her tastes.

"Leave that here. Might as well finish it off. Waste is a sin, y'know?" Reno laughed again, starting to pour himself another drink, but finding his hands shook too much and deciding to drink straight from the bottle.

"Someone's awful thirsty," Stella remarked, busying herself fixing two drinks. Reno's eyes were still sharp and he noticed her slip something into one of the glasses. It fizzed for a few moments before dissolving and leaving no trace.

"Yup," Reno nodded, fingers curling nervously around the neck of the bottle in his hand as Stella turned around. Casually, he reached for the glass in front of him. He drew his hand back as his fingers touched. "Stell, this isn't cold. Get some ice."

"Sure, Reno," Stella agreed, bending down to open the freezer beneath the bar. Quickly, Reno switched the glasses and drummed his fingers nervously on the countertop as Stella stood back up and dropped an ice cube into the glass that sat before him. "There you are, darlin', hardest stuff I got."

"Thanks, Stell. Cheers," Reno said cheerfully, lifting his glass quickly and drinking the clear liquid.

Stella watched him for a few moments then sighed and drank her own glass. She looked stupidly at the glass for a few moments then up at Reno. Her mouth opened, then closed and she folded her arms before her and laid her head down on the bar, snoring softly.

"Sorry," Reno muttered, reaching across the bar and taking the bottle of vodka from where it stood on the counter. Quickly, he slipped out of the bar and headed up for the rooftop.

As soon as the elevator door slid shut, Stella opened one eye and then pushed herself up, belching in a rather unladylike fashion. Sighing, she picked up the phone and dialed Rude's cell number. "Rude? Something's the matter with…yeah, Reno. How'd you…oh god…the poor bastard…I dunno where he went, but he's got a bottle with him and he's well on his way to getting loaded…I figured I needed to get him outta here, so I pulled a bit of a trick on him…except he defeated the purpose of my little scheme and took a bottle of vodka along for the ride…Jesus, Rude…well…I can come stay with Elena, if you want…I really think Reno needs help, he isn't himself…Gotcha, Rude. I'll be right there…good luck finding him."

--------------------------------------------

"Reno?"

Jerking his head up, Reno looked out across the rooftop to where Rude was standing, hands in his pockets and wind ruffling his suit jacket slightly. "Hey, Rude! Join the party!"

"No, thank you, Reno," Rude said quietly, coming closer and standing next to his friend, who leaned against the half wall at the edge of the roof, bottle in one hand. "Are you doing all right?"

Reno laughed. "Nope."

"Oh…do you…is there anything I can do?"

Reno shrugged his shoulders. "Not really. Wanna drink?"

"Nah, I'm fine."

"Suit yourself," Reno grinned to himself and stared out across the city of Midgar. "Is he really dead, Rude? He isn't just faking, like Vincent was? Of course…he's dead by now."

"He's gone, Reno."

"Huh. Really dead." Reno shook his head. "I've…never had a friend die before. My parents died…but that was different…this is…it hurts…"

"Yeah, I know."

"I've killed lots of people…they…they all had families and friends and…" Reno turned around. "How many people were there in Sector Seven?"

Rude shifted uncomfortably. "A lot, I guess…"

"A hundred? No…more than that…a thousand. Lots of people…" Reno laughed again, no mirth in his tone. "I killed all of them…I didn't even know I was doing it. I just did what Tseng told me. I didn't even think about it…" Reno took a deep breath and a long drink from the bottle.

Rude didn't answer, rubbing a hand over his scalp.

"He lied to me, y'know? He didn't tell me what I was doing…I wouldn't have done it, if I knew…right, Rude? I wouldn't kill all those people, I'm not a murderer…not like that…" Reno appealed, looking at his friend.

"No, Reno, of course not."

"I'm not. But…he didn't tell me because…if I knew…I wouldn't do it. And if I wouldn't do it, Shinra would kill me…Tseng saved my life, right? I owe him one, don't I?" Reno's hands started shaking again. "Or…if he was alive…I would owe him…but you can't pay back the dead."

Rude looked worried. "Reno was that bottle full when you came up here?"

"Hmm?" Reno held up the vessel and examined it, tapping his finger at a spot about three quarters full, considerably higher than what it was now. "About there. I'm running out, though. Better go get more." Pushing away from the wall Reno stumbled slightly on his way to the door.

"Are you sure about this, Reno?" Rude called after him, not turning away from looking out over Midgar.

"Sure as hell," Reno answered cheerfully, pulling open the door. The stairwell was dark and Reno was very dizzy, vision slightly blurred. It was no surprise he lost his balance going down the stairway, landing at the bottom hard and blacking out.

--------------------------------------------

As he'd done so many times before, Reno woke to a blinding headache and pain in every muscle of his body. In all honesty, he didn't want to be moving or breathing at the moment, but he opened his eyes anyway.

"Hey, Reno," Elena greeted him quietly, sitting on the bed beside his in only her dress shirt and underclothes. "You all right?"

"No," Reno whimpered. "I wanna die."

Elena looked sorrowful for a moment. "No, you don't, Reno."

Reno closed his eyes and pulled a pillow over his head. "I just…dear god, I'm hung over…"

"I know, Reno."

Before Reno could answer, someone grabbed him roughly by the back of his jacket and hauled him over to one of the shower stalls.

"Rude, don't hurt him!" Elena warned.

"Don't worry, Elena, I've done this before."

Dazedly, Reno recognized the room as the nap and shower room on the training floor as Rude shoved him roughly into the shower stall. "What the hell…?"

There was a blast of icy cold water and the door of the shower clanged shut. Reno swore and yelled a long stream of insults, pain in his head numbed slightly by the frigid water. In truth, he felt better, senses clearing and skull feeling less like it was stuffed with cotton. But his suit was soaking wet and clung to his skin, freezing cold. Pushing himself off the ground, he pounded on the door. "Rude, lemme out!"

"Are you sober yet?" Rude asked placidly.

"Sober and &%$# cold! C'mon, Rude…" Angrily, Reno threw his shoulder against the door. Normally, he would have been able to break it down, but with Rude's back braced against it, it was like hitting a solid wall.

"Don't hurt yourself, Reno!" Elena called.

"Too late," Reno muttered, massaging his arm and leaning against the door. "Please, Rude, let me out…"

There was a grunt and the door swung outward, sending Reno tumbling to the floor in a puddle of icy water. Miserably he sat up and wrung the water out of his ponytail.

"Oh, Reno…" Elena sighed. "C'mere." She patted the bed next to her and moved over a bit.

"Elena, I'll get you soaked."

"I don't really care. Come on." Getting up she pulled her friend to his feet and ushered him over to the bed. "Take your jacket off…your shirt too."

Still cold and feeling more and more lousy as the weight of the previous night's events came crashing back down; Reno obliged and peeled off the soaking wet clothing.

Elena grabbed a towel from a pile at the counter and slipped it around Reno's shoulders, giving him a gentle hug. "You want some coffee, Reno?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Rude, would you…?" Elena began.

"Sure, Elena." Rude headed off to find a coffee machine.

"Why're you being so nice to me, Elena?" Reno asked suspiciously.

Elena shrugged. "We gotta stick together, Reno. Do you have anyone else?"

Reno sighed. "Not really. Thanks, Elena, I'm sorry I'm such a jerk."

"You aren't a jerk."

Reno laughed. "Yeah, I am."

"No, you're not. Stop pretending it doesn't hurt."

Reno flinched slightly, taken aback by her words. "I'm not pretending…I just don't wanna think about it…"

Elena hugged Reno again. "Reno, you're the closest thing I've ever had to a big brother. We fight and we yell at each other and there's a whole ton of rivalry and mean tricks by both of us, but we gotta stick together."

"What about Rude?"

Elena smiled. "Rude's different. You and him are best friends and…well…me and Rude have an arrangement."

"Oh really?" Reno grinned. "What sort of arrangement?"

Elena looked smug. "Never mind."

"Coffee," Rude announced, entering the room with two mugs in hand.

"Thanks, Rude." Elena took a mug and sipped it gratefully.

"Yeah, thanks," Reno echoed. "I wanna go home."

"Sure. You want a ride back to your place, Elena?" Rude asked.

"I was actually thinking of going over to my parents' place for a bit," Elena admitted.

"Oh. All right." Rude glanced at Reno and scuffed his feet. "I'll see you later then."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Rude, ignore him. He knows perfectly well what's between us."

Reno grinned and stood up, rubbing at his hair with the towel. "Yup. Way to go, Rude."

His friend flushed and embraced Elena quickly. "See you later, Elly. Take care of yourself."

"Yeah, Rude, you too."

Reno smiled as Elena broke out of Rude's hug and turned to him. "I'll see you around, eh squirt?" Reno teased, ruffling Elena's hair.

"Don't call me that, lunkhead," Elena returned playfully, punching Reno's shoulder lightly.

"How droll. Just like a little family," a sarcastic voice commented and Reno whirled around to see Rufus standing in the doorway with a mocking smirk on his features. "You'll excuse me for interrupting, but I have a promotion to deal out."

"What're you talking about?" Reno demanded, fingers twitching and curling around the handle of his nightstick, jammed in his belt from the previous evening. "%$# off, Rufus."

"Watch your language, Turk," Rufus scowled. "Rude, you're being promoted to squad leader."

Rude was silent as Reno turned to face him. "You aren't letting him do this, are you?" Reno demanded.

"Don't be stupid, Reno," Rufus scoffed. "Why should he decline the position? A higher salary, more freedom, and authority over you and your little blond friend."

"Rude…" Elena said appealingly, slipping her arm through his. "Don't split us up like this."

"No way in hell. Rufus, take your promotion and stuff it."

Rufus's face reddened. "You'll regret that."

Reno pulled out his nightstick and extended it. "I'm getting sick of you, Rufus," he growled, twirling the weapon ominously.

"Keep in mind who you're talking to!" Rufus hissed, eyes narrowed.

"No, _you _keep in mind who you're talking to. There ain't a hell of a lot keeping me from killing you, Rufus," Reno threatened. "Except that I think Elena would have more fun with it and she could come up with worse stuff to do to you."

Rufus looked like he was about to reply, but instead he turned sharply on his heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

"Let's go trash his office," Reno elected. "Hopefully he'll be inside it."

Rude shook his head. "No, let's just go home."

--------------------------------------------

Dizzily, Reno pushed himself up, leaning on the bar in front of him for support. For some strange reason, he couldn't remember the date, time, and his own name was giving him problems. His head hurt so much that everything blurred and swam before his eyes as he tried to remember whether he'd fallen asleep or simply closed his eyes for a few moments. It was a vain attempt however and as he moved his hand to touch his forehead, he felt it brush a bottle. Automatically, his fingers closed around it, but his coordination was too far-gone for him to get any farther. There was a sudden flash of light and a soft thud as the door of the bar opened and closed. Whoever it was who entered was greeted with silence. Reno was rather thankful. He wasn't sure, but that probably meant that wherever he was, the patrons weren't loud and friendly with strangers. Someone tapped him lightly on the shoulder, but he barely felt it.

"Reno?"

"Oh, is _that _who I am? Thank you, I honestly had no idea…" Reno mumbled, unsure where the sudden joke came from, whether it was reflexive or if his sense of humor was the only part of his brain that wasn't steeped in gin.

"Jesus, Reno," the voice sighed.

"Jesus Reno? Never met the guy, try another bar." Reno turned his head slightly and was rather less than startled to see Rude. "Hiya."

"C'mon, Reno. Let's go home." Rude took a firm hold of his partner's arm and tugged him gently to his feet. Reno's knees promptly buckled and he hit the ground with a moan.

"I really wish you hadn't done that…" he murmured, dazedly starting to slide into darkness.

"Oh, no you don't," Rude said sternly, grabbing his friend's collar and yanking him to his feet, ignoring the weak groan Reno managed and lifting one of his partner's arms around his shoulders. "Your car's outside. You can pass out there."

"I have a car? I think you better drive…"

"Yeah," Rude's response was clipped as he pushed the door open and helped his partner stumble over to the red convertible haphazardly parallel parked at the curb.

"I have a _nice _car…" Reno mumbled to himself as Rude opened the back door and rather less than gently let him slump down on his side on the back seat. The door slammed and he heard Rude go around the back of the car and climb into the driver's seat. "To the concert hall, driver, and step on it."

"Shut up," Rude said shortly, pulling out of the parking space and onto the road.

"You mad at me?" Reno questioned.

"No shit."

"Why?" Reno asked, confused at the anger in his friend's tone. A little worried, he tried to roll over onto his back and sit up, but Rude stopped him.

"Don't bother. In all likelihood, you'll black out, puke, then drown in your own vomit." Rude's voice was still cutting and he almost made it sound like his friend's fate would be grimly well deserved.

"Rude…I don't…I don't understand…"

"Reno, we've been all over Midgar since midnight looking for you. It's four in the morning now."

"We?" Reno repeated, dazedly trying to figure out who else would care enough to come looking for him.

"Elena and I."

"You…you shouldn't bring Elena out here…not with the places I go…" Reno reprimanded in a moment of temporary sobriety.

"You didn't give me a choice," Rude retorted, hard edge in his voice still biting deep. "For your sake, she'd better be all right."

Reno was silent a few moments, wishing things didn't feel so distantly surreal and that he could pin down his situation as dream or reality. It seemed to hover in between, blurring visions that flickered across his mind's eye and the smoggy night sky that flew past overhead. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry," Rude echoed, not apologizing himself, but repeating his friend's words as though uncertain he'd heard correctly. "Sorry doesn't cut it, Reno."

"Why didn't you leave me alone?"

"Because you're my damned best friend and you deserve a bit better than drinking yourself to death in some goddamned hole in the wall."

"I _am _sorry, Rude…"

Rude sighed. "Yeah, Reno. I'm sorry too."

"I don't mean to…" Reno explained further, feeling remorseful.

"I know. It's just…playing 'Reno-Retrieval' at four in the morning while my girlfriend wanders around the seedy side of downtown Midgar is not my favorite way to spend a Friday night."

"Elena will be all right…she's…Elena's tough…" Reno attempted to make his friend feel better.

"Yeah. Elena also has the IQ of a housefly sometimes."

"I'm sorry…"

"It's ok, Reno." Rude was silent for a few moments. "You wanna make it up to me?"

"Sure," Reno agreed, relieved that his friend didn't seem angry anymore.

"Get some help, Reno. For god's sake. You're depressed and you know it."

"I'm not…" Reno started to protest.

"Well, you're drinking like it. Christ, Reno, you'll kill yourself. We hadn't seen you for three days. For all we knew you were dead. You've been tearing around Midgar, too inebriated to remember the previous five minutes. It's a wonder you haven't killed yourself in a car accident. It's a wonder you haven't run yourself out of Midgar and made monster bait. And mostly, it's a wonder you don't have alcohol poisoning or something. I half expected you were dead when I found you."

"I'm…"

"You're sorry, I know." Rude pulled over to the side of the road and reached over to open the door and let Elena in. "So do me this one favor and talk to a professional."

--------------------------------------------

The clock on the wall struck two in the afternoon and then resumed it's monotonous ticking. In a posh high-rise building in downtown Midgar, Reno lay casually sprawled on a divan, blatantly ignoring the psychiatrist who was supposed to be analyzing him and staring out the window. The room was comfortable and nicely decorated, the window dominating an entire wall and the other three walls richly paneled in mahogany. The carpet was plush and a deep wine red and there was a crackling fireplace against one wall.

"Reno, it has been two hours, and the most significant thing you've done is glare at me," the skinny man with gray hair in a style similar to one of Reno's shock victims and small glasses said in an exasperated tone. "We have made absolutely no headway. I've read your record over three times, devised theories about you being a homicidal maniac, a manic-depressive alcoholic, a man in the midst of a psychotic regression to childhood, a victim of severe, personality altering Mako poisoning, and a Chocobo. I've also drawn a picture of Bahamut attacking Midgar. But I can neither prove nor disprove any of this if you _don't say anything_!"

Very deliberately, Reno turned his head and arched an eyebrow at the man. Shifting the arm he had draped over the back of the chair, he examined his fingernails for a moment and casually buffed them on the lapel of his suit jacket.

"Well?" the doctor prompted, tone irritated.

Reno glanced up from almost utter fascination with one of his cuticles and pointedly gave the man the finger before closing his eyes and feigning sleep.

"My reputation is on the line here! I've never met a case I couldn't crack!" the doctor fretted. "According to your record, you are by no means a difficult case!"

Reno's eyes snapped open and he glanced at the man. "Not difficult, eh? What the shit gives you the right to say that?"

The psychiatrist looked startled, but pleased. "Well, according to your record…"

"%$# my record. My record is a bunch of damned lies that Shinra made up because one of their shining star scientists is a %$#&% murderous shithead," Reno retorted sullenly, readjusting his position so his legs draped over the back of the settee and he stared up at the ceiling. "What's it say?"

"Er…Name: Charles Reno," the doctor stated.

"Wrong. Reno Charles Anderson."

"Uh…Age: Twenty-four," the doctor continued, scribbling something on his clipboard.

"Wrong again. Hell, they're off by thirty %$%#& years."

There was more furious scribbling and the doctor skimmed the file again. "Birthdate: March thirteenth…"

Reno paused. "I'll let them have that one. But only because I don't have the slightest idea myself. But I'd always figured it was August."

"What was your childhood like, Reno?" the psychiatrist asked eagerly, making more notes.

"Oh, no you don't," Reno snapped. "None of that crap. My childhood was essentially shit, except for the approximate half a year I was actually allowed to live a normal life…before my parents died."

"Half…half a year? You mean you remember things from early infancy?" the doctor asked.

Reno glared at him. "What do you think, dumbass? How the hell'd you get to be a psychiatrist? God, what a dumbass. Of course I don't remember anything from %$#$% 'early infancy'. Good thing too, my mother was a damned bitch."

"I see…" the doctor continued scrawling on his clipboard. "What about your father? Did you have any siblings?"

"I don't _know _my father. I don't particularly care to, if he's been in the same bed with my mother. If I have siblings, I don't wanna know about 'em. Probably do too, the stupid bitch would've gotten herself pregnant again."

"Fascinating…absolutely fascinating…" the shrink murmured, continuing to make notes.

"_Fascinating?_" Reno repeated, outraged. Irritated, he sat up and swung his legs to the side, standing up and reaching the doctor in two quick strides. Grabbing the small man's collar and glaring at him with a ferocity that was rather uncharacteristic, he snarled, "Listen up, jack ass, I'm only going to say this once. There is $%#&% nothing fascinating about my head. You aren't going to be meeting anyone who is quite as damn screwed up as I am. My mom was a slut, and my father was a drunkard who had the luck and the money to knock the bitch up. I grew up in an orphanage with a bunch of women who couldn't have cared less about me. I was adopted by two wonderful, loving people, only to have them both killed in a &%$#& car crash. One of the people I trusted most took off when I needed her most. I was thrown out of the damned orphanage. I met my mother. I should've shot the whore right then and there, got it off my chest. Then I got yanked off the streets and stuffed in a Shinran Uniform. I learned that death is justice and if you step outta line, that's &%$##$ too bad, I'm glad it wasn't me. Then I met my best friend and that was the only good thing that ever came outta Shinra. We were then placed under the command of one of the creepiest goddamned bastards I've ever met. Though he wasn't as big a jackass as some other psycho who had the balls to take _on_ the creepiest damned bastard I'd ever met. Then my bastard friend got himself killed and I got shot in the chest and stuffed in a goddamned closet because of him. Last time I saw _him_,he was sealed up alive in a coffin. I highly doubt the 'alive' part lasted. I'm fifty-four. For some &%$#& reason, I'm thirty years ahead of my time. By all rights I should be _dead_. More recently, I've been sent after some blonde jackass and a bunch of terrorists who I really don't have much of anything against. Except that he scares the living daylights outta me, and he's reduced me to a bloody pulp twice now. I'm not terribly looking forward to the next time. I have persistent and vivid fantasies about raping a sixteen year-old. I…" Reno stopped, realizing he was breathing heavily and had just spilled his guts to someone he respected about as much as a cereal bowl.

"I'm outta here," Reno muttered, throwing the psychiatrist to the floor and tossing his clipboard into the roaring fireplace as an afterthought. Reaching the large double doors, he yanked on the handle only to find them locked. Not even bothering to threaten the psychiatrist into unlocking them, he kicked the doors open with a satisfying bang and stormed into the waiting room.

"Reno?" Rude got up as his partner brushed past him. "Hey, how'd it go?"

"Shitty. Let's get outta here." Reno started for the door when Rude caught his shoulder.

"We should at least hear what your doctor has to say. He might have some medication or something for you…"

"Hell no! Let's just go!" Reno tried to shrug off his friend's grasp, but Rude held firm.

"I think we'll go talk to him. C'mon, Reno." Rude grabbed his partner's collar and pulled him bodily back into the psychiatrist's office. The man had picked himself up and was scribbling furiously on another clipboard. He glanced up as Rude dragged Reno back in and a grin nearly split his face.

"You brought him back! Oh, I did hope that someone would catch him! A fascinating case, truly fascinating, I'll go down in history…" the scientist prattled, shaking Rude's hand firmly.

Rude looked slightly bewildered, but shook off his confusion. "What can you do to help him, doctor?"

"Hmm? Oh, I don't know for sure, just yet. We'll have to run further testing and such…for now the best I can prescribe are some strong sedatives…now, they're experimental, but very effective on lab rats who display psychotic tendencies."

"Lab rats?" Reno echoed angrily, twisting about, now that his friend had moved him into a half nelson. "Rude, which side are you on?"

"Reno, pipe down," Rude scolded. "What do you suggest, doctor?"

"Why the hell are you calling this crackpot a doctor? Did you hear him, Rude? _Lab rat_. I'm not a &%$# lab rat!" Reno objected, still pulling futilely in an attempt to make his friend release him.

Rude grunted and covered Reno's mouth with his free hand. "Doctor?"

"Hmm…well…I would suggest that we get some of that sedative into him as soon as possible, he seems quite agitated. Aside from that, keep a close eye on him and journal his behavior. Bring him back in a week; I'll have a team ready to study him by then."

Reno's eyes widened and he pulled harder against Rude's restraining hold. Rude grunted again and changed his hold to a full nelson, effectively immobilizing his partner.

"Bring him into my office; I have a couple vials of the stuff there." The doctor opened a door into an office adjoining and beckoned to Rude.

"C'mon, Rude, lemme go…" Reno pleaded as his friend dragged him forcefully into the office, which was more like a medical examining room.

"Reno, it's for your own good," Rude persisted stubbornly

Digging his heels into the carpet, Reno wished he could reach out and grab the doorframe to prevent his partner from dragging him into the room.

"Just in here," the doctor said, gesturing with a syringe filled with a cold blue liquid.

Reno froze, eyeing the syringe. "No needles. I _hate _needles." Slightly panicked, he kept fighting against Rude's iron grip.

"Reno, for Christ's sake, hold still!" Rude muttered, sharply twisting Reno's arm.

With a plaintive whimper, Reno kept up his efforts, struggling more and more desperately. "No! Please, I can't _stand _needles…"

The doctor frowned and came closer with the syringe. "Hold him still."

Reno tensed for a few seconds, running through a strategy in his head before casting one last terrified glance at the hypodermic needle and letting his body go limp, eyes closing and reverting to his other senses for guidance. He heard and felt Rude's startled grunt and sensed his partner's grip slacken slightly and change to keep him from falling to the floor.

_"Three…two…one…_" Reno suddenly lashed out with a kick that sent the doctor flying and broke him free of Rude's grasp. Shooting out the door, he ran through the reception room and dashed down the hallway towards the elevator. He knew perfectly well he had a snowball's chance in hell when it came to outrunning his partner, so he needed to make use of the few seconds Rude would have spent ensuring Reno hadn't broken the spine of the good doctor. Reaching the elevator doors, he pressed the button rather frantically, glancing down the hallway at the sound of footsteps. With a slightly panicked groan, he jammed the button and looked up again to see his partner coming around the corner, just as the doors slid open. Relieved, he ducked inside before the elevator was even fully open and pressed the close-door button, sinking to the floor, relieved. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back and took a few deep breaths to try and calm the flood of adrenaline through his veins, as he waited for the gentle jolt that would indicate the elevator's progress downward. It didn't come and Reno's eyes snapped open again at the sound of the door opening. Rude practically filled the doorway, one hand on the down button outside the elevator.

"C'mon Reno," Rude said firmly, reaching out a hand to grab his partner.

"Rude! Please, for Christ's sake, don't make me go!" Reno protested, grabbing onto the railing around the inside of the elevator and holding tight.

Rude calmly planted his foot on his partner's fingers and grabbed hold of his ankle when he yelped in pain and let go of the railing. Unceremoniously, he dragged him out of the elevator and started down the hallway, still pulling him by the ankle.

"Rude, I'll do _anything_!" Reno pleaded again, reaching out and grabbing a doorframe. Rude gave a hard tug and Reno's still throbbing fingers gave up their grip almost immediately. "I _hate _needles. The guy's a crackpot! Didn't you hear what he said about lab rats?"

"Reno It's _for your own good_," Rude asserted, still dragging his partner and ignoring the strange looks people gave them.

"What's the big deal? Is it the drinking, Rude? I swear, I'll stop! I'll quit, totally cold turkey! C'mon, Rude, I promise…" Reno begged again, grabbing at the ankle of a passing secretary, figuring the extra passenger would force Rude to stop. The young woman squealed and shied away, directing a kick at Reno's ribs as he passed, but missing and hitting the side of his head.

"Reno, just cooperate!" Rude insisted, readjusting his grip. "You're getting yourself hurt!"

"Rude, I'm your best friend! &%, I wouldn't do this to _you_! Please? Can't we just drop it? I'm better now, I swear! No needles, please…Christ, I stayed the hell away from drugs all my life 'cuz I'm frickin' terrified of needles…"

Rude didn't answer, reaching the door that led to the doctor's office. "Are you going to get up, or do I have to drag you across carpet?"

"Please, Rude, I'm begging you, don't make me do this…" Reno pleaded. "I'm sorry, ok? I promise I won't worry you like this again, ever! I didn't mean for anything to come to this and I really don't need any of it, so we should just go home, all right? I'm fine now!"

For a second, it seemed like Rude would relent, but his expression hardened again. "No, Reno, the doctor knows best."

Reno managed an inarticulate wail and kicked as his partner pulled him across the carpet and towards the door to the doctor's office. Desperately he dug his fingers into the thick carpet in a vain effort to delay the inevitable. Rude gave another stubborn tug and yanked him into the bright doctor's office. He twisted Reno's arms behind his back and held him forcibly pinned against the floor.

"Please…Rude…" Reno begged, feeling the doctor place a hand on his back and squirming in a last ditch attempt to get away.

"You'll barely even feel it, Reno," Rude assured him.

"Right. Especially if you don't see me do it," the doctor confirmed. "Just hold still."

Reno didn't listen and continued panicking until he felt a sudden, sharp pain in his upper arm. He gasped, startled, but things started to get hazy almost immediately. He felt his muscles relax and all sensation started to get sluggish, as though he'd been submersed in water. The last impression he had, was that of either sinking, or falling into blackness.

--------------------------------------------

Rude took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes, slightly sore from staring at the screen of his laptop computer. Replacing the pair of spectacles on the bridge of his nose he typed the address of a well-known medical search engine. Glancing up, he looked at his partner with a slightly worried expression. The drug the doctor had provided had done nothing to bring Reno back to his original state. It had been two days, but it seemed more like he'd been reduced to a condition that bordered on catatonic. He'd scarcely moved from his position on the living room couch since they'd come back from the psychiatrist's office. When he wasn't sleeping, his attention span was next to nil and it was veritably impossible to talk to him or prompt a response. It seemed the only difference was that his eyes would half open, glazed and slightly unfocused. Shaking off his reflection, Rude typed the name of the sedative the doctor had prescribed into a search engine and hit "Go."

While waiting for the results, he got up and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. The digital clock on the microwave gleamed well past midnight and Rude glanced wearily out the window at the dark skies above Midgar. Sighing, he went back to his laptop and selected one of the articles. Skimming through, he started to have serious doubts about his choice. "Comas…severe decrease in brain function…memory loss…" Rude murmured, reading the article under his breath. "Dear god…even death…Jesus, Reno, what've I done?"

"Rude?" Elena called sleepily, poking her head out of the bedroom. Rude had explained that he felt like he needed to stick with Reno for a while and the young woman had agreed wholeheartedly, even offering to spend the weekend with the pair. "What're you doing?"

"Just…looking at some stuff." Rude got up and sighed, walking over to the couch and looking at his partner sorrowfully. Reno looked pale in the fragile moonlight that pierced the dark clouds above Midgar and filtered into the room through the window. His breathing was slow and even, almost eerily so.

Elena came over and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're upset?"

"I just…Christ, Elena…I've turned my best friend into a vegetable. I should've listened to him; he _knew_ this was going to go wrong."

"Aww…Rude, it's ok. He'll get better," Elena assured him, giving him a hug.

"Not if we let those psychiatric bastards get their hands on him," Rude declared. "It's bad enough I forced him into it in the beginning, I'm not letting it go any further."

"We'll ask Mr. Reeve for help," Elena suggested, sitting down on the couch and running a finger up and down Reno's spine. "He'll do whatever he can, he's good at stuff like this."

"Yeah…yeah…what should we do until then, Elly?" Rude asked.

Elena smiled and got up. She stepped into the bathroom and returned with a vial of blue liquid. "For starters, you can pour that down the drain. He's not gonna get better if we keep pumping the damned stuff into him."

"Right. Good idea," Rude agreed, glad that Elena seemed to have some sort of idea what she was doing. Obediently he went into the kitchen and emptied the small bottle into the sink. Dropping the empty bottle into the trash, he absently wiped his hands against his plaid pajama pants and ran a hand over his scalp.

Elena came into the kitchen and got herself a glass of water, sipping it thoughtfully. "Don't worry, Rude. Reeve'll know what to do."

--------------------------------------------

Reno sat up and yawned, stretching and rubbing his eyes. A little petulantly, he checked the time. It was almost quarter to noon and the sun was shining above Midgar, slanting down through the penthouse's skylight. However, it didn't bother him as much as it might have as he didn't have the splitting headache he'd expected to wake up to, more a sort of drowsiness that came from being not quite fully awake. He certainly didn't mind, it was really rather pleasant. Getting up, he wandered into the kitchen, where Rude was preparing breakfast, obviously quite oblivious to Reno. "Hey, Rude. We got any coffee on hand?"

Rude jumped at his friend's voice and dropped the egg he'd been cracking on the edge of a bowl and turned to face his partner. "Reno!"

"G'morning. Where's the coffee?"

"It's…it's in the coffee pot. How are you doing, Reno?" Rude asked anxiously.

"Oh, I'm not too bad. Not hung over, which is a real first. Heh, I oughta do this more often." Reno poured himself a cup of coffee and added the appropriate amounts of cream and sugar.

"Are you sure?" Rude asked as Reno sat down at the table and picked up the newspaper, leafing through to find the comics. He stopped as he found a sheet of printout paper, skimming it nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Reno answered casually.

"Not feeling depressed or anything? About Tseng?"

"Who?"

Reno glanced up to see his partner's expression. To put it quite bluntly, Rude looked sick and more shocked than Reno had ever seen him. Reno managed to keep his features neutrally curious for a few seconds before laughing. "Oh, Christ, Rude, quit your worrying. I'm perfectly fine." He held up the computer printout and grinned. "Comas, brain damage, amnesia…I'm _so_ glad you care."

Rude's expression relaxed and he sighed. "Jesus, Reno. I'm sorry."

Reno laughed. "Nah, no problem. I guess your heart was in the right place."

"Still…I could've…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I could have died," Reno snorted, waving away his friend's apology. "Thhbpt."

Elena poked her head into the dining room. "I thought I heard Reno. How're you doing?"

"I'm quite well, thank you, Elena."

Giggling, Elena came over and gave Reno a hug. "Glad to hear it. I called Reeve, he wants to talk to the three of us."

"Who's Reeve?" Reno questioned.

"Human Resources director. He's very nice," Elena answered. "I told him we'd come meet him later today for lunch."

"Oh. Are you up to it Reno?"

"I'd like a shower, but sure." Reno got up and stretched. "I'm gonna go have my shower."

"Have fun," Elena joked, sitting down at the table and waiting expectantly for Rude to serve her breakfast.

--------------------------------------------

"Well, the bastard's sure taking his damned time," Reno remarked, leaning back in his chair and taking a casual sip of the ice water he'd ordered while waiting for lunch to show up. Reno was quite thankful to be out of uniform and wearing a pair of plain jeans and a sweater, despite the fact that the restaurant was extremely high class.

Elena frowned and looked at her watch. "It's not like Reeve to be late…" The blonde wore a slightly dressier outfit; a dark skirt and a red blouse open at the collar. "He'll be here soon, I'm sure."

Rude didn't say anything, but drummed his fingers on the tabletop.

"There he is!" Elena cried triumphantly, waving at a man in a dark blue suit with dark hair and a beard. "Over here, Reeve!"

The man looked up and walked quickly over to the table. "I'm so sorry to keep you waiting," he began, sitting down next to Elena and setting his briefcase on the floor. "Rufus held me up."

"Now, what you gotta do with Rufus, is stick a well greased rocket up his ass. Then, you light the rocket and your problems are solved," Reno explained seriously. "Can I watch?"

Reeve chuckled nervously. "I take it you're Reno?"

"Yup. The crazy one," Reno held out his hand and Reeve took it hesitantly. "The homicidal, manic-depressive, alcoholic, regressively childish, Mako poisoned Chocobo. Pleased to meet you."

"Rufus told me to…deal with you three." Reeve looked slightly uncomfortable. "I hope he didn't mean for me to be beaten to a bloody pulp."

Reno laughed. "No worries. I'm not after the blood of any Shinran but Rufus. What exactly is it you do?"

"Well…I try to provide you with whatever you need, especially after crises such as this." Reeve sighed. "Tseng was a very dear friend of mine."

"Yeah…" Reno stretched wearily. "I just want to have a bit of a break."

"All right. Say, you three want some complimentary vacation time? A few days in Wutai, maybe? It's lovely there this time of year, good place to get away from it all."

Reno's eyes lit up. "Wutai?" Yuffie was from Wutai, he'd found that out, going through her file in the archive Shinra's spy kept on Avalanche. There was also a gorgeous picture of the young ninja winking at the camera with a sphere of materia between her fingers. It had mysteriously vanished a day after Reno got his hands on the file. Unfortunately, it also confirmed his fear that she was only sixteen, barely more than a child.

"Or Costa Del Sol, if you would like. I thought you might prefer Wutai, though. It's getting to be a tourist attraction, mostly because of its serenity. Cherry trees in bloom, Da Chao burning in the sunset, and the Leviathan River running through the town. It's a truly beautiful place."

"Sounds nice…" Reno agreed tentatively. "Whaddaya guys think?"

"Sure!" Elena exclaimed. "It'll be great!"

"Rude?"

"I'm in."****

--------------------------------------------

"Hey, Reno! Could you toss that back?" Elena shouted, as the beach ball she and Rude had been playing with in the pool behind the hotel went wayward and out of the water, rolling over to the beach chair where Reno was dozing, appreciating the sunshine that warmed Wutai and bathed his muscular limbs, dark swim trunks drying quickly from a previous swim.

Opening one eye, Reno reached out languidly and grabbed the brightly colored ball from where it had rolled into the trimmed hedge that rimmed the pool, tossing it back to Elena. "What do we say?"

"Thank you!" Elena caught the ball and threw it at Rude, returning to their game.

Shifting a bit, Reno stretched and flipped his sunglasses down, shading his eyes. Idly he looked around for the magazine he'd been reading about cars and found it had fallen off his chest onto the concrete pad that surrounded the pool. Not bothering to retrieve it, he laced his fingers behind his head and closed his eyes, reflecting on the last few days in Wutai. Reeve had been right, it was one of the most peaceful places on the Planet. The hotel was peaceful, the people were peaceful, the mountain was peaceful, the weather was peaceful. In Reno's opinion it was boring. He hadn't even seen Yuffie, which depressed him immensely. He'd rather hoped she might be back home, perhaps bored with Avalanche and not at all averse to hanging around with a Shinran assassin. Reno sighed. "And as long as I'm dreaming, I'd like a pony," he muttered to himself.

A servant came out of the kitchen doors across the pool to drop a bag of garbage in the dumpster. "Hey!" Reno called. "Could I get a glass of water or something?"

"Yes, sir!" The servant scurried back into the kitchen and Reno rolled his eyes. It was irritating have people doting on him. It was nice for a while, but the people of Wutai seemed pushy, almost desperate to accommodate his every whim.

"Reno, come play!" Elena called, jumping up and waving at Reno.

"No, thanks," Reno called back, taking his sunglasses off and rubbing his eyes for a moment. The bushes rustled and Reno almost imagined he heard someone sneeze, but shrugged it off as being the wind.

"You're no fun," Elena pouted, floating on her back.

"Let him alone, Elena. Reno was very busy last night," Rude remarked mildly, swimming over to his girlfriend and whispering something to her.

Elena giggled and glanced at Reno. "Three?"

Reno grinned at the blonde Turk. "Sorta like bad luck, y'know, comes in threes? Same thing with samurai's daughters, I guess."

Elena blushed and dove under water, splashing about contentedly. Reno retrieved his magazine and started leafing through, looking for an interesting article. Licking his lips, he wondered where the young servant had gotten with his water. The bushes rustled again and Reno glanced suspiciously over his shoulder. The trimmed hedge looked out of place in Wutai, leaves and twigs stuck out here and there, as though the bush was upset to be something it wasn't. Reno paused. Philosophical thoughts about bushes were where he drew the line. Returning his attention to his magazine, he stopped to admire an ad with a picture of a scantily clad young woman sprawled on the hood of a _very _nice looking car. A shadow fell across the page and the young servant stood with his glass of water, staring at the woman in the ad with poorly concealed interest.

"It's about damn time," Reno growled, taking the glass of water. "Get me something to eat too."

The servant stared for a few moments more then snapped out of it. "Yes, sir!" Sneaking a last peek, he hurried off again, not even bothering to ask what Reno wanted.

Reno was about to call after him, but decided against it. "%$#&$# service…" he grumbled to himself, lifting the glass to his lips and hearing the ice cubes clink. Glancing down, he noticed with revulsion a black smudge in his water. "Eww…" Looking closer, he discovered it was a bug. "What the hell? There's a damn bug in my water! What the hell is with you people?" Reno complained, tossing the contents of the glass over his shoulder into the bush. He jumped and whirled around as there was a scream.

"%$#!" Yuffie burst out of the bush, slightly scratched and spluttering, black hair dripping. She stared rather stupidly at Reno, who mirrored her expression, before she suddenly seemed to realize who he was and took off at a dead run, breaking free of the confining bramble of the hedge.

"Hey! Wait!" Reno called after, sitting up and almost starting to take after the young woman. Stopping himself, he sat back down again with a low chuckle. So Yuffie _was_ in Wutai. All of a sudden it seemed his vacation was looking a lot more promising.

"What was that all about?" Elena called. "Who screamed?"

"Oh, no one," Reno answered casually. "You know what the wildlife is like around here."

"You told no one to wait?" Rude questioned, climbing out of the pool and arching an eyebrow at his partner. "Or are you taking an unwholesome interest in the local wildlife?"

Reno grinned. "That's right. Those squirrels. I mean, _damn_, man. If that's not hot, I don't know what is."

"Ooooh…he's hiding something!" Elena accused, boosting herself up, out of the pool and shaking her head, sending crystal droplets of water flying.

"Don't be silly," Reno protested, trying to keep the grin off his face.

"Come on, Reno, out with it," Rude demanded, folding his arms across his muscular chest. "We'll chuck you in the water."

"Pfft." Reno flipped his sunglasses back on and returned to his magazine. "Just you try it."

Elena giggled as Rude smiled and grabbed hold of his friend's beach chair, dragging it towards the pool.

"Hey! Whoa! Not cool!" Reno exclaimed as Rude upended the chair and dumped him into the deep end of the pool.

"Who was it?" There was a splash as Elena dove in after him, and Reno felt her grab his ankle just as he surfaced, yanking him back under. "Jesus Chr—"

Bubbles roiled to the surface and Elena broke the surface of the water giggling. "He told me."

"What'd he say?" Rude asked jokingly.

"Something along the lines of 'glub-blub-glug-blug' I think he means Yuffie."

"Shut up, Elena!" Reno surfaced and splashed the female Turk.

"Whatever you say, Reno," Rude grinned condescendingly, holding out a hand to help Elena out of the water. "Let's go get dried off."

--------------------------------------------

"Good food," Rude remarked, pushing his plate away. The trio had just finished supper at the hotel restaurant and was waiting around for drinks to be served.

"Rather," Reno agreed urbanely, cracking open a fortune cookie and staring blankly at the lines of Wutain text. "Any idea what this says?"

Elena giggled and leaned over to whisper in his ear. "You will %$# a short, dark haired ninja-chick."

Reno scowled at Elena. "If you weren't a girl and drunk as hell, I'd hit you so hard you're little blond head would spin."

Rude glared at his partner while Elena giggled again. "C'mon, Reno, lighten up. You're a lot more fun when you've got some liquor in you."

With a slightly derisive snort, Reno picked up his glass and downed the rest of the contents. "Elena, shut up. You remember the last time me and you tried to drink each other out?"

Elena looked blank, then snickered. "Nope."

"Oh. Hmm. Me either. You wanna have a go?"

"Yeah. You're sore because I won last time," Elena sipped delicately from a glass of saki, smirking at Reno.

"For one thing, I am _not _sore, and, for another, there is no way in _hell_ that you beat me," Reno stated, snatching his companion's drink as she set it back down on the table and swallowing the contents. "And none of this 'sipping'. You drink it properly, you little cheater."

Elena glared at Reno and grabbed Rude's half full glass, mimicking Reno. "You wanna go down hard and fast then, is it? Well, bring it on."

Reno's eyes narrowed and he snapped his fingers at a waitress by the bar. "Whatever it is that you call 'strong', keep it coming. Elena has a lesson to learn."

"I'll teach _you _a thing or two," Elena growled, downing another glass.

"Tch. Yeah right," Reno snorted, matching Elena drink for drink. Things were getting a tad blurry and his throat was burning in protest, but he was never one to give up a contest. The doors of the restaurant swung open and shut again, but Reno didn't really notice.

Elena glanced over her shoulder and gasped. "You guys…"

"No distractions, Elena," Reno scolded, firmly refusing to look where Elena was pointing. "You're ruining my psyche."

Elena suddenly jumped up, knocking her chair over and putting her fists up angrily. "What the hell are _you _doing here?"

Reno jumped as a combat boot suddenly planted itself on the middle of the low table, and Cloud performed a showy somersault and landed opposite Reno. His sword was quickly out and glinting ominously. Reno squinted slightly and realized it was a new sword, blade less heavy than what Cloud usually carried, but still razor sharp. Behind him, a rather squat, mean looking pilot with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and a spear several feet taller than he was stood beside a fierce looking, brilliantly red dog with scars and tattoos all over his lean body.

All movement in the restaurant ceased, everyone staring at the pair of warring factions. Elena broke the silence, smacking a fist into her palm. "Let's go."

"Aww…hell. Elena, siddown!" Reno grumbled, taking another drink. "Why did we come up here?"

Elena looked abashed. "To get away from work…"

"To get away from _him_," Reno jerked his head at Cloud. Glaring up at the ex-SOLDIER, he sighed. "Cloud, I'm terribly sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm a tad off-duty right now. If you wanna kill me, could we possibly do it later?" Taking a napkin, Reno removed a pen from his pocket and scribbled his cell number on it. "Call me later and I'll tell you if I'm busy or not. Let's see if we can't schedule something for early May? Bleeding is always so much nicer in the springtime…"

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "You're drunk, Turk," he accused, slinging his sword over his back again.

Reno chuckled. "Maybe a little. Now, do you mind? I'm drinking with my friends, not my enemies."

The dog beside Cloud sat up and scratched behind his ear with a hind leg. "As long as we aren't trying to kill each other at the moment, have you seen Yuffie?"

Reno blinked and cocked his head at the dog. "Wha…? Wow. A talking dog. I am _really_ smashed." Laughing, he lifted his glass and toasted the barmaid, who merely shot him a slightly disgusted look.

Rude chuckled. "Undeniably bacchanalian."

"Rude! Four. #$%&#. Syllables," Reno stated.

"Yeah, you're pretty damn drunk," Rude amended.

"Shut up. We don't give a rat's ass how drunk you are," the man with the spear growled. "Have you seen Yuffie?"

"Yuffie?" Reno squinted, in mock concentration. "Hmm…she from around here? I might've…" Reno looked around the bar, spotting several ladies with whom he was _very _well acquainted. At least since the previous evening. "Are any of you lovely vixens Puffy?"

Cloud looked disgusted. "_Yuf_-fie. She's a member of Avalanche and she's taken off with our materia."

"Oh." Reno feigned deliberation again. "She the one with the rack?"

The pilot let out a snort of laughter and hastily turned it into a coughing fit. Cloud's face reddened slightly. "_No_," he spat distastefully. "Yuffie is the little ninja freak. And don't you even _think _about…"

"About doing anything?" Reno finished, grinning. "Ah. So it's you and her, huh? That's illegal, you know. Or is this a business enterprise? I guess you're just starting out, eh? You've only got three ladies…well, I'm always eager to help out a young entrepreneur. Can you fit me in tomorrow night sometime? Hmm…send…Tifa…no…Aeris…dear me, not much selection…actually, just surprise me."

"Listen, Turk, I am _this _close to tying your spine in a knot," Cloud interrupted angrily, lifting his sword and taking a razor thin measurement from the blade to show just how serious he was.

"Don't cut yourself," Reno cautioned in a lightly sarcastic tone, leaning back in his chair and lacing his fingers behind his head. "Listen, I haven't seen your ninja whore. If I do, I'll make sure to tell you how she handles. Sixteen, eh? A newer model…what d'you charge?"

Something in Cloud finally snapped and he sliced downward with his sword, burying the blade in the table and neatly shearing Reno's glass in half.

"Wow. Neat trick. Do you do kids' parties?"

"Cloud, let's go," Red interjected hastily, taking the leg of Cloud's pants in his teeth and starting towards the door.

"Nice chatting with you!" Reno called.

"Reno, are you _nuts_?" Elena squeaked as Avalanche exited the bar.

"No, I'm drunk," Reno corrected, picking up the halves of his shot glass and offhandedly attempting to stick the pieces back together. "Wow. He could've killed me."

"You're nuts," Elena repeated, shaking her head, blue eyes wide.

"Elena, I'm a Turk, and I'm drunk. A dangerous combination, but it was probably the Turk talking just then. This job's nearly gotten me killed more times than I can count, but, all in all, I'm glad I did it. Even if all it means is I got to meet a buncha wingnuts like you guys."

Rude smiled. "To the Turks. No…to _you_, Reno. For being the best out of the three of us."

Reno grinned. "You'd never say that if you were sober."

"And let it go to your head? Hell, no. I'm counting on you forgetting all this by tomorrow morning."

Rubbing his eyes, Reno yawned. "I'm beat."

Elena giggled. "G'night Reno."

Reno stood up and stretched, when suddenly a pair of soldiers burst into the room. "We found him! He's here!"

"Pfft. Who gives a shit?" Reno snorted, assuming the soldiers meant Cloud.

"But…but headquarters said…we need you guys for backup!" one of the soldiers pleaded.

Elena jumped up again, being the least drunk. "Right! The Turks are _on _it!"

"No, we aren't," Reno protested, sitting back down and glaring at the soldiers. "Bug off. Go on, get!"

"B-but…!"

"Go! You're making me sober, and believe me, I'm a hell of a lot more dangerous when I'm sober," Reno growled.

"Fine! We'll get him without you! And don't think headquarters won't hear about this!" The pair of soldiers stormed out of the bar.

"Wait!" Elena called. Turning to Reno, she frowned. "Are you sure that was a good idea?"

"Listen, Elena, I'm on break. This is _my _leisure time. I don't particularly care to be back on duty with Cloud in the general vicinity. I have no intention of sacrificing myself for the sake of this job, no matter how many wingnuts I meet."

Elena folded her arms. "I think that's a stupid answer! It's not what we're about!"

Reno waved a hand at Elena dismissively. "You do whatever the hell you want, Elena. I'm too drunk right now."

"Fine!" Elena stormed out of the bar, slamming the door behind her.

Rude made a small, discontented noise and started to get up.

"Leave her alone. She isn't a child. She'll probably pout for a bit, then come back to the hotel. Don't worry, there isn't anyone who could lay a hand on her in _this _backwater hovel," Reno said reassuringly, getting up and stretching. "Ladies and Gentlemen, for my next trick, I shall head upstairs to my room and pass out. Admission: Five Gil."

--------------------------------------------

Reno stumbled down the staircase of Wutai's inn to the restaurant on the first floor, tenderly feeling a bruise on his cheekbone. Spotting his partner sitting at a table, breakfasting, he made his way over and collapsed in a chair beside him, slouching forward at the table.

"Coffee…black…and aspirin," he gasped to a passing waitress. "And meet me in room twenty-five in half an hour with some chocolate syrop and a riding crop."

The woman blushed and scuttled off as Reno sat up and chuckled.

"How'd that happen?" Rude asked, gesturing at the bruise on his friend's cheek.

Reno laughed sheepishly. "Woke up this morning. With a woman…didn't know her name…"

Rude chuckled and speared a hash brown off his plate. "Sounds like something you'd do. Any sign of Elena upstairs?"

"Hmm?" Reno accepted a cup of coffee from the waitress and swallowed a few aspirin. "No, it wasn't Elena. I may have been drunk, but I sure wasn't suicidal."

Rude glared at him. "I mean did you see her coming out of her room?"

"No…wasn't she with you?" Reno questioned.

"I thought she'd gone back to her room…" Rude murmured, getting up and heading up the stairs. "I'll go check on her."

"Ok," Reno agreed, following his partner after downing the rest of his coffee and swiping a slice of bacon from Rude's plate. Making his way down the hallway to the room beside his, he looked in and leaned against the doorway. The room was still neatly made up and the bed not slept in. Rude came out of the bathroom, looking slightly worried.

"She's not here…" he said, tone anxious. "Didn't she come back last night?"

"How should I know? I was busy."

Rude glared at his partner. "She could be out on Da Chao or lost somewhere or…"

"Calm down," Reno said reassuringly. "It's a small town, we'll find her. She couldn't have gotten far, she was drunk, remember?"

"Reno, you were tearing around Midgar for three days, drunk as hell, and we couldn't find _you_."

"I had a car and that was Midgar. And it was me. Elena shouldn't be hard to find."

"I hope you're right…"

"Of course I'm right," Reno said dismissively, heading down the stairs. He stopped in his tracks, seeing Cloud leaning against the bar, questioning a waitress. Fortunately, he was sober enough to realize Cloud posed a bit of a hazard. "G'morning, Cloud!"

"What do _you _want?" Cloud asked, turning around and glaring at Reno.

"Sheesh. _Sorry_. I was just being friendly," Reno grumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Did you find your whore?" he questioned brightly.

Cloud bristled. "Her name is _Yuffie_," he hissed, gripping his sword hilt.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You'll run yourself outta business if you keep losing track of your primary source of industry. Anyways, you seen a blonde Turk passed out anywhere in the general vicinity?"

"She the one with the rack?" Cloud asked sarcastically.

Reno shrugged. "Nah. Elena's a tad flat-chested. Not boyishly so, of course, but still. Very attractive, just not quite as built as the foxy-boxer you tote around. Of course, I don't doubt that Elena is _very _good in bed."

"Impeccable," Rude voiced.

"A testimonial," Reno stated, grinning at his partner. "So how's Tifa when you get her in bed? I'm still not sure which of the three I want…"

Cloud flushed. "I wouldn't know," he said stiffly, stalking out of the restaurant.

"Touchy, isn't he?" Reno chuckled. "Let's go look for Elena."

--------------------------------------------

Reno tentatively kicked at the stone tiles that covered the balcony at the top of the Pagoda of the Five gods. Three hours searching for Elena had yielded little result, except for declaration made by a drunken samurai that a blonde young woman in a suit had taken off with a ninja, towards Lord Godo's house and the Pagoda. Now, having questioned Lord Godo and searched the temple, Reno could sense that his friend was in less than a good mood. "Well…maybe she…" Reno began hesitantly.

"Shut up," Rude said flatly.

"We can't just stop looking…I mean, there's lotsa other places she could be…"

"Name _one_." Rude stared at his partner, expression unreadable behind his dark glasses.

"Uh…well…" Reno had a nasty, skulking feeling in the back of his mind that his best friend might need to vent some emotion, fully aware that Rude usually vented emotion through his fists. Also accompanied by the full realization that he was the nearest target. A little desperately, he looked down at the courtyard, for some sign of Elena. "Well…there's a big fat guy!" he blurted, spotting the first person who exited the small building across from Godo's house.

"Reno, just what are you implying?" Rude asked, threat in his tone blatant.

"Nothing! Not that Elena's fat or anything like that!" Reno amended hastily. "It's just he was the first guy I saw! Er…uh, there's someone in a dark outfit down there!" Reno pointed to a furtive looking figure in a dark uniform.

"That's a ninja, Reno." Rude absently cracked a few knuckles, not noticing his partner's extremely nervous expression.

"Oh, right, right…heh…didn't that old guy say Elena ran off with a ninja?" Reno laughed anxiously.

Rude's sunglasses slipped down his nose, revealing the dangerous glare in his icy blue eyes. "Ran off?"

Reno's eyes bugged slightly when he thought back to what he'd just said. Taking the path of least resistance he collapsed to the ground, covering his head with his arms. "_Please_ don't kill me! I didn't mean anything, I swear! It was just the first thing that came to my mind! You know me, everyone tells me I'm a sicko…I didn't think about it! I'm wrong, I'm an idiot, you oughta chuck me off the side of this building, but you're not gonna you're gonna beat the shit outta me first…Jesus, Rude I'm sorry! Just a ninja, nothing important! Please don't kill me…"

Rude grunted. "Oh, get up. "

"I'm sorry," Reno apologized again, scrambling to his feet and dusting his hands off. "Hey, look, another…"

There was suddenly a scream from the courtyard below as a ninja appeared from out of the building below, forcefully dragging Elena across the courtyard. The dark suited warrior clamped a hand over her mouth and pulled her down the steps back to the center of the small town.

"Oh, shit…Elena…" Reno murmured. He turned to glance at Rude, only to find his partner had already vanished down the stairs, headed for the main floor. Turning back to the railway, he stood for a few more moments. "I guess I'd be the same way if it was _my _girlfriend…"

At the same instant another ninja burst out of the building dragging a kicking and screaming dark haired shinobi. Reno knew her figure all too well.

"Oh _shit_!"

Following his friend, Reno took off down the stairs, exiting the building only about five seconds after Rude. His partner had an obvious lead, but Reno caught up anyway. Rude halted at the entrance to the main part of town. "Where'd they go?"

"My money's on Da Chao," Reno answered promptly, glancing towards the towering mountain. "There's nowhere to hide in this town."

"What the hell are you people up to?" a familiar voice demanded angrily.

Reno turned around and glared at Cloud, Red, and Cid. "What the shit is your problem?"

Cloud hefted his sword. "Your lackeys just took off with our materia!"

"And Yuffie," Red interjected quickly, lightly nipping Cloud's leg.

"Well, excuse _me_, dumbass, but did you happen to notice the member of _our _organization that they absconded with?" Reno asked sarcastically, fingers curling around the handle of his nightstick.

Cloud folded his arms. "You planned this, scumbag; don't ask me about how you're working it."

"Don't you _get _it? Elena has been kidnapped. Yuf—your ninja whore has been kidnapped. We dunno who did it. We just know were removing the vital organs of whoever _did,_" Reno retorted heatedly. "Our prerogative is getting Elena back. I don't give a shit how you going about getting your 'materia', but lay a hand on Elena and I'll pull your trachea out and jam it up your ass."

"Big talk," Cloud growled. "Let's see you try."

"This is getting us _nowhere_," Red stated emphatically. "We share the same objective, getting Elena and Yuffie out of Corneo's clutches…"

"Corneo?" Rude repeated, glancing at Red.

"Don Corneo, yes…hey, where are you…?" Red didn't get a chance to finish as Rude took off at a moderate jog.

"As I was _saying_," Red continued. "Let's simply agree not to bother each other. I highly doubt an alliance is even remotely possible, but, for now, just non-violence will suffice."

"Fine," Reno agreed quickly. "Stay outta my way."

"Hmph. You stay outta mine."

Reno scowled and started after Rude. "Good luck…" he muttered over his shoulder.

"Hey! Umm…where'd they go?" Cid called after him.

Reno turned around with another scowl. "Some lack of cooperation. They're probably headed for the most obvious place." Ignoring whatever it was that Cloud and the others responded with, Reno took off after his partner at a moderate run, mind racing through tactics and escape plans. "What's the story?" Reno gasped, massaging a stitch in his side as he caught up to his partner. "Who's Corneo, and why's he after Elena?"

Rude grimaced. "Corneo is a disgusting lech from Wall Market underneath the plate. The Shinra are after him, because he leaked information. Probably up here to hide out. He's after Elena because she's a woman."

"Let's go kill the bastard," Reno elected as Cloud and the others came up.

"You aren't laying a hand on Corneo, he's mine," Cloud stated.

"Why, Cloud, I didn't know you walked both sides of the fence…" Reno retorted scathingly. "Who the hell asked you?"

"Stop this now," Red scolded. "You're being childish. Remember the objective. We'll split up. You two cover paths towards one side of the mountain, we'll take the other."

Reno bristled. "You trying to give me orders?"

"Shut up, Reno," Rude ordered sharply. "You heard him. It's the best course of action, now let's move."

Reno bit back a reply and followed Rude, splitting up from his partner as he got higher up the mountain, senses on full alert. Taking off up a path, he turned as he heard a noise behind him.

"Just me!" the pilot from earlier stated, holding his spear point downward in a gesture of goodwill. "Why d'you think they're here?"

Reno smiled thinly. "Because if I was kidnapping Elena and your ninja whore, I'd take off to Da Chao."

"Oh." Cid scuffed his spear point in the dirt. "You really as bad as Cloud says you are?"

"I dunno. Can we discuss this later?" Reno asked, eager to get back to looking for Yuffie and Elena.

"Yeah, sure. I was just kinda thinkin'. 'Cuz…y'know…if you weren't on the other side, you wouldn't be a bad guy…" Cid admitted.

"I thank you for that," Reno acknowledged. "Could you please let me get back to work?"

"Sure. I'm gonna go find Cloud." Cid set off at a bit of a moderate jog, turning around for a second. "You wanna smoke?" he offered courteously.

"Are you a double agent or something?" Reno questioned bluntly. "You're being awfully nice to me. I figured I'd be getting that spear in the shoulder blades one of these days…"

Cid shrugged. "I dunno. You just didn't seem like such a bad guy."

Reno stood on the path for a few moments after Cid had vanished from view. Shaking off his reflection he started down the path and nearly ran headlong into Cloud. "Whoa! Slow down there, pimpster!"

Cloud gritted his teeth. "I don't know what hand you had in this Turk, but you stay outta my way."

"How often do I have to tell you? I had _nothing_ to do with this! And you got in my way!"

"Not good enough, Turk." Cloud eased his sword loose in its sheath at his back.

"Ok. Bad time, bad place," Reno objected, backing up, holding his hands in front of him to demonstrate he was unarmed and wincing as he backed into a cliff wall. "Listen, I'm not even armed…"

"Oh. That's your problem." Cloud took his hand off the hilt of his sword and took a few steps forward. "Well, I don't need to be armed either."

Reno caught the movement of Cloud's arm a fraction of a second too late and just managed to turn his head slightly and catch the right hook the ex-SOLDIER delivered in a bit of a better place. Still, the blow sent him to his knees, dazed.

"Now keep your hands off members of Avalanche," Cloud growled, kicking Reno in the stomach, hard enough to topple him onto his side.

Reno whimpered and didn't bother protesting, or trying to get up. He heard Cloud's retreating footsteps and spent a few minutes getting the world steady enough that he could stumble to his feet. Leaning against the cliff behind him, he gingerly touched his fingers to his cheekbone, where Cloud's blow had landed. The area was tender; certainly, he didn't think the bone was broken.

"Reno?" Rude came down the path. "Hey, what happened?" his partner asked, sounding concerned.

"Oh…nothing. Just Cloud expressing his insatiable desire to _hit _me all the time," Reno sighed. "How badly is this bruising? Or swelling…bleeding?"

Rude looked closely. "Not too bad, you don't bruise too easily, remember?"

"No, I don't remember." Reno let his hand drop from his cheekbone. "Any sign of…"

A scream erupted from higher up the mountain. Glancing up, Reno caught sight of a large winged dragon fighting with Avalanche on a large hand carved into the mountain. Behind the dragon, a blobbish man was shouting praise and instructions in a high pitched voice.

Reno glanced at Rude and took off down the pathway, heading up to where Corneo cheered his dragon on. He winced as there was a loud roar and a thundering crash as the dragon fell from the skies.

"Hold it right there!" the man yelled, voice high pitched. "Don't move a muscle, Avalanche, or I squash your tomatoes!"

Cloud, who had been getting to his feet, froze. "Corneo, don't you _dare_…"

"Listen, you don't understand how _hard _it's been for me since that night…" Corneo began, sighing dramatically. "It's a long, sordid story…"

"I don't _care_!" Cloud yelled, beginning to draw his sword.

Corneo glared at him. "Why do you think a guy like me does this for a living? A) Because I'm ready to die. B) Because I'm clueless. C) Because I'm sure I'll win."

"Shut up!"

"Wrong! Squashed tomato time! Hoho! Try and stop me, try and stop me!" Corneo giggled, yanking on a rope.

Yuffie screamed as the ropes holding her wrists suddenly relaxed and she found herself inverted, hanging by her ankles. "CLOUD!" Elena found herself in relatively the same position seconds later.

"Freeze, spiky!" Corneo shouted. "One wrong move and I drop them on their heads!"

Cloud gritted his teeth, not moving.

"Guess I'm the one laughing last!"

"Incorrect," Reno stated, coming up the path behind Avalanche and climbing onto the thumb of the hand where the standoff was taking place. "Scum like you _never_ laugh last."

"T-Turks!" Corneo gasped. "Then…you know about…"

"Yeah, we know about the information you leaked. We came up here to take care of you personally," Reno explained, buffing his nails on the lapel of his jacket. "Believe me, it's more than you deserve."

Corneo seemed to regain the knowledge that he was in partial control of the situation and began to lift his hand to pull the rope again. He suddenly screamed and dropped the rope as a gunshot fired. He stumbled to the edge of the cliff, clutching a very sensitive area. He fell backwards and slipped off the precipice, just barely catching the edge

Reno smiled icily, practically collapsing from relief, but covering it up smoothly as he glanced up at his partner, still holding his handgun out. "Beautiful shot, Rude. You've always had that sense of timing."

"H…help!" Corneo whimpered. "Please…"

Reno leapt easily off the giant thumb and strode over to Corneo, planting an expensive steel toed black boot on his bloody fingers. "Why? You've don't have much left to live for now, do you, bullet balls?"

"_Please!_"

"I'll do you a favor and make this quick. Now, why do you think we took time off our vacation to come up here and take you out? Because…A) We're ready to die. B) We're clueless. C) Because we're sure we'll win."

"B…is it B?" Corneo gasped, tears in the corners of his eyes.

Reno grinned wickedly and jammed the heel of his shoe onto Corneo's fingers. "All wrong." There was a sharp crunching noise as Reno ground his heel down. Corneo's eyes widened until only the whites showed and he screamed loud and long as Reno lifted his foot. The shriek faded away to silence and a muffled thud announced Corneo's arrival at the bottom of Da Chao.

Chuckling, Reno ran his fingers through his hair. "The correct answer was…"

"Because it's our job," Rude finished, coming up behind his partner. "Classy."

Reno grinned. "I rather liked it. That _was _quite the excellent shot, you know."

Rude's skull flushed slightly. "I was aiming for his head," he admitted sheepishly.

Reno laughed again. "Well, whatever works for you." There was a slightly muffled ringing and Reno pulled out his cell phone, holding a hand up as Cloud started to open his mouth. He winced as the small device brushed the tender spot on his cheek. "Reno…yes…uh huh…really?... Of course, sir, we'll get right on it…Thank you, have a good day, sir."

"Was that the company?" Elena called, still hanging upside down.

Reno sighed. "Yeah. They want us to find Cloud."

Cloud's sword was out again in an instant and he smiled coolly. Cid reluctantly drew his spear and Red sighed wearily, looking up from licking a wound in his shoulder.

"Are we on?" Rude questioned.

Reno shook his head. "Naw. We're off duty."

Cloud looked chagrined, but Cid laughed. "Yeah, sure. Thanks for the help."

"Hellooooo?" Yuffie yelled. "GET ME DOWN!!!"

"Yeah, me too!" Elena echoed.

"Elena, shut up!" Reno called back. "We'll get you down when we're damn well ready to get you down!" Turning to Cloud and company, he frowned. "I don't suppose any of you fancy climbing up there?"

There was a silence and Cloud glared at him. "I suppose you think _you _could do it?"

"Of course I could. I was going to offer." Casually, Reno shrugged of his jacket and tossed it to Rude. "Be back in a moment." Reno headed down the pathway to the back of the giant statue to which Corneo had tied Yuffie and Elena. Sprawled at the bottom were two ninjas, both looking to have broken several bones. Reno chuckled to himself. "Good old Rude…" Examining the complicated network of ropes that laced the back of the rock, he decided his guess was as good as any and grabbed one, easily climbing the rough surface. Reaching the top, he dusted his palms off and moved cautiously towards the edge of the face. "Cavalry's here," he announced.

"Oh, Reno, I was scared!" Elena exclaimed. "I didn't know if you and Rude would come…"

"Elena, don't act so weak," Reno snorted. "You're a Turk. Makin' us look bad in front of the enemy," he gestured at Yuffie, trying to ignore her slender legs. "You wanna hand up first or are you gonna be courteous?"

"You mean you're gonna help me?" Yuffie blurted, brown eyes slightly pleading.

"Of course." Reno grinned. "I'm on holiday. I'm not gonna kill you on holiday." Bracing himself, he held out a hand for Yuffie to take. The shinobi pulled herself up and grasped his wrist, looking relieved. Reno continued, "Now, I may take it into my head to rape you, but certainly no killing."

Yuffie's eyes widened and she looked torn between laughing and screaming.

"Reno, shut up," Elena snapped.

"Sheesh. I was kidding. Don't let go," Reno cautioned, getting a better hold on Yuffie's hand. "Have to cut those ropes and we don't want you falling."

Yuffie nodded and closed her eyes. Reno reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade which he had on hand for emergencies. Flicking the blade out, he eased it underneath the rope binding Yuffie's ankles. "Ready?"

"Uh…uh huh…" Yuffie nodded, keeping her eyes shut tight.

"Here goes." Reno sharply drew the blade up and the rope severed. Yuffie squealed as her legs swung down.

"Don't let me fall!" she pleaded.

"Hey, no worries," Reno said reassuringly. "I gotcha, I promise." Carefully putting his knife down, he reached down with his other hand, catching Yuffie under the arm, back of his fingers lightly brushing her breast. "Oopsie. We'll call that a thank you then."

Yuffie blushed slightly and dug the toes of her sneakers into the side of the rock face, pushing herself up. Scrambling back from the edge of the cliff she rubbed at her ankles ruefully.

"Reno, help…" Elena called plaintively. "All the blood's rushing to my head."

"Well, at least it'll fill up the empty space. Hang on, I just…" Reno turned to where Yuffie had been moments earlier, but the young ninja had disappeared. Sighing remorsefully he returned his attention to Elena. "Yeah, Elena, I'm right here."

"Thanks, Reno…"

"Any time." Silently, Reno helped Elena onto the cliff, putting a hand on her shoulder once she was up to help her calm down.

"Let's go down, ok, Reno?" she appealed; crawling towards the edge on her hands and knees.

"Yeah." Reno followed Elena down carefully, dropping to the ground behind the statue. Elena had already thrown herself into Rude's arms and was quietly sobbing.

"Thanks, Reno," Rude said gratefully, rubbing a hand up and down Elena's back.

"No problem." Reno grinned halfheartedly. "I'll leave you two alone." Managing a casual saunter, Reno scooped his jacket up from the ground and threw it over his shoulder, heading for a quiet cliff facing west towards the sunset. He found a decent looking hollow in the palm of a carved hand, sitting down and resting his back against the thumb. Glancing out towards the sunset, he picked up a pebble and tossed it off the edge of the cliff. "Rude and Elena…nice that they've got each other, I guess…" he murmured to himself, taking out his switchblade and digging aimlessly at the sandstone of the cliff. Looking down, he read the name he'd carved. "Aww…hell. Who'm I kidding?" Readjusting his hold on the knife, he started to scratch out Yuffie's name.

"Hey…uh…Turk?" a voice called from behind.

Reno looked up sharply to see Yuffie standing a little ways down the path, twirling her shuriken nervously and scuffing her feet on the gravel. "Yeah?"

"Umm…well…I just…y'know…Thanks, and all that," Yuffie mumbled, looking down at the dust on her sneakers.

Reno laughed. "Hey, no problem."

Yuffie looked up. "But don't think I won't kick your ass on any other occasion!" she stated, in a rather vain attempt to preserve some dignity. "'Cuz I _will_!"

Laughing again, Reno nodded. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

--------------------------------------------

Reno removed his glasses and rubbed at his eyes, reflecting on how big a headache the new lenses gave him. The revelation that he needed reading glasses had not been something he'd taken particularly well, scowling blackly throughout the entirety of his appointment with Midgar's top optometrist and keeping the thinnest veneer of civility, solely because of his partner's disapproving presence. Shifting a bit on the leather couch that sat in front of the wide-screen plasma TV in the living room of the apartment, he turned the page of the thick volume in his lap. Rain beat softly against the windows, running down and distorting the view of the city lights outside. Rude was out with Elena, having an intimate dinner somewhere expensive. Reno hadn't much been interested in the details, content with a quiet evening to himself for once.

And quiet the evening had been. Lately, Shinra's interests were captured by other things and the Turks were being treated to another week off. Shinra had made public only the vaguest reason for their inactivity, that the society was recovering from the loss of one of their top members. Elena seemed to need particular attention. Reno chuckled to himself. Rude had certainly obliged. For some reason, it made him feel jealous and slightly resentful of Elena, who his best friend insisted on spending every other waking hour with.

Shaking off such thoughts, Reno returned his attention to his book. At some point in time, he couldn't remember exactly when, he'd ordered the entire Knights of the Round set out of pure and utter whimsy. Bound in leather with inlaid golden lettering and gilt edges, Reno was a little startled that the books were classics. Even the most indeterminate memories he had from childhood were of a series that had been aimed for children. Really, honestly, he had no idea of the true storyline or history to the stories, aside from the very basic outline and theme of knights, castles, and dragons that had enraptured him as a child. Reading the series at the level it had been intended was far preferable.

Nestling back against the cushions on the couch, Reno continued devouring the chapter he'd mired himself in, scarcely noticing when the door of the apartment opened.

"Hey, Reno," Rude greeted his partner placidly.

Reno glanced up; startled to see his best friend standing in the doorway, thin streams of rainwater running from his long trench coat. Elena's hand still rested lightly on his arm, her blond hair ever so slightly dampened. Reno had to admit, they were a very attractive couple, both beautifully dressed in formal evening attire. "Hiya. Have a good evening?"

"It was lovely, yes," Rude answered, prudently taking Elena's coat. "Care for a glass of wine, Elly?

"Mmm…that would be nice," Elena agreed, tossing her short hair. Wincing slightly, she stepped out of the pair of high heels she was wearing and curled up in a chair across from Reno. "I didn't know you wore glasses, Reno," she remarked offhandedly, stretching cattily.

"I don't, usually. Just for reading." Absently, Reno pulled the wire-rimmed spectacles off and set them on his forehead, where he typically rested his sunglasses.

"Whatcha reading?"

"Just some books," Reno answered vaguely, waving a hand at the pile of thirteen thick volumes scattered about the area of the living room he'd designated his.

"What books?" Elena pressed, picking up one of the tomes and looking at the title. "'Knights of the Round'? Looks pretty dry, Reno."

Reno shrugged, not really feeling like a confrontation. "Depends, I guess. I like them. Better than the harlequin romances _you_ read."

Elena bristled. "Shut up, Reno."

"Did you want Madeira or Port, Elena?" Rude called from the kitchen.

Elena giggled. "You know I can't tell the difference. You pick one."

"Reno?"

"Hmm…what year's the Madeira?" Reno asked, shutting his book on his finger and craning his neck to see the bottle Rude held up.

"It's a rather nice '29." Rude displayed a dark bottle with a faded label.

"A little dated for my tastes. I think a '45 might be better." Reno shifted his position again. "Of course, it all depends on just how smashed you want Elena to be. A good half bottle of the '29 will put _me _out. If that's the case, you might as well just break into the liquor cabinet and dump a half bottle of gin into her, 'stead of wasting our nice '29."

"I'm sitting right here, y'know," Elena complained.

"Yeah, I know," Reno said evenly. "I see you. Hi, Elena! Hi!"

Rude entered the living room with a slightly dry expression and the same dark bottle from before as well as a slightly newer magnum. "Reno, you drink half the '29. I think this evening will be better served if you're passed out in your room."

"Well, that wasn't very nice," Reno muttered, sliding a scrap of paper in between the pages of his book to mark his place. "Did you neglect to bring wine glasses, O Bald One?"

Rude grunted and returned to the kitchen to retrieve a few glasses. Reno stretched out comfortably and propped his feet up on the far end of the couch. Elena was watching him curiously, and Reno realized his casually comfortable attire was quite a contrast to her formal dress. Stonewashed jeans and a sky blue turtleneck that practically adhered to his slender torso were almost opposite Rude's black pants and dinner jacket and dark maroon dress shirt.

"You shouldn't drink lying down," Rude admonished, handing his partner a glass.

Obligingly, Reno sat up as his friend took his place a chair beside the sofa. Holding out his glass, he lifted his hand when the glass was half full and leaned back, swirling the dark liquid absently.

"Someone seems a lot less belligerent this evening," Rude commented, eyeing Reno. "Something wrong?"

"Nah," Reno shrugged. "Just relaxing for once in my life. It's a weird feeling."

Elena smiled and took a small sip of the wine that Rude poured her. "Kinda nice, huh?"

"I guess," Reno agreed. "Sure beats working."

"Yeah."

Conversation died and Reno lifted his glass to his lips, inhaling before tasting the dark wine. "Good year. This the '45?"

"No. Remember? You're drinking the '29."

Reno nodded absently and fell silent again. The rain continued to beat against the windows, the apartment remaining silent. Eventually, fifteen minutes and one and a half glasses of wine later, Reno yawned.

Elena stood up and stretched. "I think I might turn in," she remarked coyly.

Depositing his near empty glass on the floor beside him and reopening his book, Reno nodded. "I'm gonna finish this chapter and get to bed. See you guys in the morning."

Rude took his cue and exited the room two steps behind Elena. "G'night, Reno."

"Mmm…" Reno returned to his book, dropping his glasses onto his nose again and trying to find where he'd left off. Before he'd realized it, he'd fallen asleep.

--------------------------------------------

Reno woke to the ringing of the telephone. Sitting up, shrugging off a light blanket, and rubbing at his eyes, he took another moment to register that the phone was ringing.

"Hello?" Rude's voice came from the kitchen apparently having answered the phone.

Rubbing at his eyes again, Reno stretched. Absently, he wondered where his glasses had gotten to. Thinking a bit further he wondered where the blanket had come from. Glancing around, he noticed that his book had fallen to the floor and the wineglass from the night previous rested, nearly empty, beside it.

Elena entered the living room, dressed in one of Rude's housecoats, the large garment enveloping her small figure and providing more than ample coverage of anything Reno might have found interesting. "G'morning, Reno."

"Hey, Elena." Getting up, Reno stretched. "How're you?"

"I'm pretty good. Did you have an ok sleep? I came in last night and you were out like a light. Glasses half off, book still open…and wine glass almost drained of course." Elena giggled. "You're so cute when you're sleeping."

"You'd be shocked the number of women who tell me that," Reno remarked.

"I thought it took a half bottle to put you out. Not half a _glass_…"

Reno shrugged and sat back down. "It was a glass and a half and I was tired. And it's a _very _potent vintage. What's the time?"

"A little after seven," Elena answered, curling up in the armchair. "Rude's making breakfast. Maybe you should tell him you're up, so he feeds you, too."

"He knows," Reno said confidently, hearing a click as his friend hung up the phone. "Hey Rude! Who the hell was calling at this hour?"

Rude sat down across from Elena in another armchair, looking slightly shocked. He ran a hand over his scalp and sat back. Reaching down, he picked up Reno's glass and finished off the contents in a single swallow.

Reno stared at his friend for a moment, startled at his action. "Something the matter? I've lost count of the number of times you've told me not to do that…"

Elena looked slightly concerned. Getting up, she crossed the living room and climbed into Rude's lap. "Is there something wrong?" she asked, gently laying a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Who called?"

"General Heidegger…" Rude answered, still sounding dazed. "He…"

"What?" Reno demanded, leaning forward and starting to get anxious. "What did he say?"

"Aeris is dead."

Rude's reply fell on dead air. Elena looked slightly confused, but cuddled close to Rude anyway and nestled her head against his shoulder. Reno shook his head, trying to clear the disbelief from his mind.

"Rude…what…what the hell are you talking about? Who told you this?" Reno demanded.

"Heidegger. He's been up since midnight with the rest of the hierarchy…celebrating."

"Celebrating…" Reno repeated numbly. "How do they know? Who told them? When?"

"I don't know the details…Heidegger was rather…inebriated."

Reno shook his head again. "Well then…then, they might be wrong! This can't…I mean…god…Aeris…" Reno buried his face in his hands and tried to sort through the all too familiar emotions that were surging through his body.

"Well…well…aren't we happy?" Elena asked in a small voice. "She was part of Avalanche. We've been after them forever…"

Reno was silent, hands clenching and digging his fingers into his hair. "This can't be true. Not Aeris. Cloud…yeah, I could believe Cloud died. Barret, maybe. Tifa, maybe…any of them, dammit, but _not _Aeris!"

"I think it's true…" Rude said quietly.

Reno didn't answer, startled that tears were stinging at his eyes. "Who?"

"I don't follow…" Rude murmured, seeming to take note of the barely perceptible break in his friend's voice.

"Who did it? One of ours…or…or was it something else? Was she sick…or a monster or something?" Reno asked weakly, suddenly praying that Shinra hadn't been responsible.

Rude shook his head. "He didn't say…but…he was laughing and he kept saying 'Sephiroth, Sephiroth' in that godawful voice of his…"

"Sephiroth…" Reno mumbled. "That bastard. D'you think…will Shinra claim credit?"

"I don't know, Reno."

"But she was from _Avalanche_!" Elena broke in. "We're after Avalanche! They murdered Tseng!"

Reno's head snapped up and he glared at Elena, a sudden ferocity in his teal eyes. "Yeah, she was from Avalanche. But we're after Sephiroth. And Cloud murdered Tseng. She wouldn't hurt a fly."

Elena looked affronted at Reno's unexpected display of anger, but recovered quickly. "That doesn't matter! They're interfering with our objective! Whether she…murdered Tseng or not, she still had to be dealt with! I hope Shinra _does _claim credit."

Somewhere inside, Reno felt like hitting Elena. Instead, he clenched his hands into fists and stood up, turning away from her. "Shut up. Did you _know_ Aeris? Had you ever met her?"

"She was an enemy," Elena stated flatly. "Gainsborough, Aeris Ann. Twenty-two years old, petite build, carried a staff. Powerful wielder of magic. Of the race of the Cetra. Tseng had been after her for six years. I read her file."

"Her file," Reno echoed. "Take a look at _my _file, Elena. You think you know me? Ever look at the thing? Anderson, Reno Charles. Twenty-four, slender build, carry a nightstick. Mine's a little more detailed than hers, because I belong to Shinra. Blood type: O negative. Height: 5'11", Weight: 146 pounds. And a bunch of other stuff. Yeah, Shinra knows me inside and out. About as well as you know…_knew_ Aeris."

"Reno what're you trying to prove?" Elena demanded, glaring at Reno.

"What _don't_ you know about me? Volumes, Elena. There's stuff I haven't even told _Rude. _Did you ever know that I was an orphan? That my mother abandoned me when I was just a baby? Might not seem like a big deal, but it hurts. I remember wondering why she hadn't loved me. I still do. I'd always thought that the bond between mother and child was too great to sever. But I guess it doesn't take an awful lot, does it?"

Elena looked slightly abashed. "Reno…"

"Don't tell me you understand. I'm sick of hearing that from people. Because you _don't_. No one ever has. And no one ever will. But I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about Aeris. I'm too screwed up to try and change. You know that." Reno smiled bitterly. "Aeris was different. Maybe I barely knew her myself. Maybe until I read her file, I had no idea she was an Ancient. Maybe she just seemed like a normal person…no…no, there was something about her that wasn't normal. Something _good_ and kind and sweet and innocent…something I'd only ever encountered in one other person and I've lost _her _forever…something I didn't understand. Something I probably never will."

Lowering her head, Elena bit her lip. "Reno…it's just…what about Tseng? He was on _our side_ and you didn't even shed a tear for him. Now, some woman from the other side gets killed, and you freak out."

Reno sighed. "It's not that…and I did flip when he was killed. I barely remember any of what I did, it's all just a blur, but I know I did some serious harm to my liver. Tseng was a good guy, and it was damn wrong that he died. But…have you ever wondered if we might be on the wrong side? That maybe…maybe all this is wrong? I realize that all you've ever known is Shinra…they're everything. The news, the businesses, the industries, the whole damn government is mired in _Shinra_.But there was a time before that. There must have been, because I remember it. When the company was just a powerful business on the rise and things were different. When that same damn word wasn't plastered over everything. 'Owned and operated by Shinra' or 'Powered by Mako, Driven by Shinra'…you know all the slogans."

Elena looked confused and opened her mouth to say something, but Rude stopped her.

"Let him talk," the bald Turk murmured quietly.

"Maybe Shinra's changed. For the worse. Think about the stuff we're doing…the Turks in general. _Shinra_ in general. Think about the stuff we've done…the people we've killed…some of us…" Reno paused and took a deep breath. "Some of us more than others. The point is, it's _wrong_. It's wrong and we've been lying to ourselves about it the whole time. Repeating over and over that we're on the 'right side', always believing what Shinra tells us."

"But Reno, we _are_!" Elena insisted. "They blow up Mako Reactors, they terrorize citizens, they tear around the world and upset the balance of everything. Shinra's balance. The order in all these towns and cities that comes from Shinra's influence…"

"Is it really just that simple? Two different sides…it can't just be that. There's gotta be a middle ground somewhere."

"There _is _a middle ground. The middle ground is for all the people who have nothing to do with this. Civilians and stuff. We're fighting to keep them safe!"

"No! Elena, we _aren't_! I don't even know what we're fighting for anymore. Maybe, when I first started, it was for Midgar and for the people…but…now I'm not so sure. Seeing…experiencing the lengths Shinra will go to, just to annihilate a group of six or seven people who are not really much different from any of us…I don't know. What if I didn't belong to Shinra? There are some days I can't help thinking that maybe I would have done the same thing, that I might have been lucky enough to see through all these lies."

"Reno, you're crazy," Elena said flatly. "You're gonna get yourself in trouble if you keep talking like this, so just shut up."

Reno looked sadly at the blond young woman, who had half risen from her chair in her fervency. "I can tell you aren't going to listen to me. And I should probably shut up and stop talking this way, because Shinra'll kill me for it. But try thinking about it some time, and see how you sleep."

--------------------------------------------

"And who're we drinking to this time, Reno?" Stella asked quietly, pouring a glass of liquor for her still sober patron. The bar was dark and practically empty. Evidence of the previous evening's revelry still lingered, in the form of overturned tables, a general mess, and two remaining revelers, one passed out on the floor, another slumped at a table, head in his arms.

"I dunno. Me, I guess." Reno sighed and rubbed at his eyes, wondering if he really wanted to do this to himself again. He had told his partner that his car needed a tune-up, and that he wanted to keep a close eye on the mechanic while he was working. While, in truth, he _had_ dropped his car off at a posh garage near the Shinra HQ, he didn't intend on staying with it. Rude was right, he was far too dangerous when he combined his powered up, sensitively maneuverable convertible with alcohol. To his recollection, he'd killed enough innocent people.

Stella pushed the small glass she'd poured towards Reno, nudging his hand. "Bottoms up, hon."

Reflexively, Reno picked up the glass, but didn't drink. "God, I feel awful…"

Stella nodded and patted the young man's hand. "I know, dear…you wanna talk about it?"

"How could you possibly know how I feel?" Reno demanded, suddenly angry.

"You're confused. You've begun to question something you've trusted for years. Started to see the truth that's been before you for ages, but never really registered. You're wondering what bearing right and wrong have taken on your situation. Seeing things in a different light, as it were. Or through someone else's eyes. More importantly, you're questioning yourself. Your actions, your morality, your sins. Wondering how other people must see you. Whether your behavior reflects what your mind and heart truly are."

Reno stared blankly at the older woman, not expecting such an accurate description. Setting his glass down he buried his face in his hands. "Jesus…it can't be true. It just can't. I'm not…I'm not really like this…am I? How _do_ people see me? What must they think? All these lies…I'm the only one who ever really believed them. Everyone else knows the truth. That I'm nothing more than a cold blood killer." Reno could barely stand the way the words sounded.

There was silence for a few moments. Reno didn't know what to expect. Another denial of what he'd finally admitted to being, or maybe someone else who'd accepted the truth before he had. Stella came out from behind the bar and took a seat on the stool beside Reno, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I don't think so, Reno."

"Don't lie to me. You know about what I've done…Shinra may not have made it public, but you know. You know what I think; you must know what I've done. The weight of a thousand souls against my own. A sea of innocent blood, and I'm drowning in it. That I _did_ something like that…god…"

"Reno," Stella began softly, reaching out and touching his cheek in an almost motherly fashion. "What were your orders? Shinra has them on record, we can check them if we need to, but what did Tseng tell you to do?"

"To blow up the pillar…" Reno mumbled, pressing his palms into his eyes, shaking off the dampness of his skin as sweat, rather than tears.

"_No_. He didn't. I remember, the night before Sector Seven, he came and talked to me. About what he had to do and how he couldn't bring himself to do it. He'd talked to President Shinra, begged for another way out, but the man was implacable. It had to be done, and the Turks had to do it."

Reno didn't answer, breath catching slightly. This was an angle of the story he'd never heard.

Stella shook her head. "The poor guy was beating himself up inside, all he wanted was a way out. He talked about running from the company, getting rid of the burden, committing suicide. But he realized that all it would amount to was the loss of another life. His own, and those of any who would defy Shinra after him. Sector Seven was _doomed_; from the moment Shinra gave the order. Anything Tseng had done to protest would merely mean more people would be killed. It was unavoidable. He finally brought up his last option. Shinra wanted Sector Seven wiped out, using any means possible. Tseng didn't think he could do it, not with the knowledge that he was killing all those people. He needed someone else. Someone whose ignorance he could use to his advantage, to keep his own hands clean."

"Me…" Reno murmured softly.

"You didn't know, did you, Reno? When you went to the pillar, you were given a static objective: to activate a device. You didn't know what it did, you didn't know why it was being done, and you didn't know whom it would affect. You _only _knew your objective. That was Tseng's plan; he laid it all out for me. Have you perform the action and never tell you what had really happened. Let you hear about it from the newspapers. Ever read the official reason Sector Seven was destroyed?"

"N-no…" Reno stammered. "What did it say?"

"Shinra said it was an accident. A freak malfunction in the computer system, caused by a virus that had triggered a sequence in events that led to the self-destruct mechanism being activated. According to official reports, you were dispatched to try and remedy the problem before things got out of hand. But it was too late and you barely escaped with your life. Courtesy of Avalanche, who were given the official blame. The people of Midgar see you as a hero."

"A hero…?" Reno echoed, staring, shocked, into his glass.

"According to records, that's how the plate was destroyed. People will tell their children the story that way, textbooks will be written that way, and history itself will read that way. Really, only a handful of people were supposed to know the truth. And one of them has taken the secret where it can never be told."

"Why…how was all this kept from me?"

"Shinra kept it quiet. Let things die down before you got out of the hospital. You would have stayed ignorant to what you had done, if Tseng had stuck around to protect you from that reality. It was foolproof. You would never know and Tseng would carry the guilt that would otherwise have landed with you. But something went wrong. Who told you the truth, Reno?" Stella asked seriously.

"Cloud did…he…he said I'd destroyed Sector Seven…and then it made sense. There were always things I didn't understand. I thought I'd dreamed some of them, and others were just…were just Avalanche's ravings."

Stella tightly embraced Reno as a choked sob suddenly racked his body and she held him close, every inch the mother. "Reno, sweetheart, it's ok…" she whispered soothingly, rubbing a hand up and down the young man's back. Though he was at least four inches taller than the woman, and, in reality, only two years her junior, he still buried his head against her shoulder and cried like a child. Holding Reno close for a few more moments, Stella slowly relaxed her hold and eased back, examining her friend at arm's length, meeting his turquoise eyes. "Feel better?" she asked softly.

"Kinda." Reno coughed and wiped a hand across his eyes. "Sorry."

"Darling, if you think that you're the only grown man I've seen reduced to tears in the space of thirty years as a bartender, twenty six years of which I also spent as a mother, and a total of fifty-six years on this Planet, you've got another think coming." Stella extracted a white handkerchief from the low cut bust of her stylish blouse and handing it to Reno, returning to her usual position behind the bar. "Here you are, dear."

"Thanks." Reno sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "God, I'm an idiot."

"No, Reno, of course not," Stella said firmly. "Do you understand that none of this was ever your fault, or even your choice?"

"Yeah…but…I still can't help feeling…"

"Remorse," Stella finished. "That's how you can tell you're not truly a bad person, Reno. Even with a situation where the outcome was inevitable, you understand that it was completely and utterly wrong, no matter who was to blame."

"Really?"

"Really," Stella confirmed. "Do you feel better?"

"Yeah…yeah, I guess I do." Reno laughed weakly. "Good thing I'm so transparent, or I'd never have gotten _any _of that off my chest."

Stella grinned. "Trade secret, hon, I wouldn't have known what the hell was wrong with you, if I hadn't seen the exact same thing last night."

"Huh?" Reno questioned. "Who?"

Stella pointed to the man who hadn't moved from the table in the corner, head still resting in his arms. At first, Reno didn't recognize the dark hair and deep blue suit the man wore. "Mr. Alexander Reeve. Going through the exact same thing you are."

"Oh." Reno looked closely at the man. "He is?"

"Yup. Spilled his guts last night. That girl from Avalanche dying really broke him up. He really _did_ know Aeris." Stella leaned forward confidentially. "I don't know if you'd already been told this, but Reeve is Shinra's 'man on the inside'…"

"Reeve?" Reno repeated dubiously. "Reeve's a pansy."

Stella shrugged. "I don't think it was his idea. Shinra is using him as much as they're using you."

"So…I'm not alone…"

"No. But you _are_ in the minority. Have you ever heard the expression, 'it's dangerous to be right when the government is wrong'? That's your unfortunate situation, Reno. And I'm afraid your only option is to keep your chin up and your nose clean. Maybe, someday, things'll be right again, but, until then, your life depends on following orders."

--------------------------------------------

"Reno, you really oughta get out and do something…" Elena remarked, observing her friend, who was draped languidly over an armchair in the living room of his apartment, aimlessly watching raindrops slide down the window, for lack of wanting to turn on the TV.

"Naw…" Reno declined, watching the city outside waver as rain beat against the windows. It was an unnaturally wet season for Midgar and rain had been almost incessant.

"Aren't you bored?" Elena asked, sitting down on the couch.

"Yep," Reno acknowledged, stretching slightly and trying to find a comfortable position on the overstuffed leatherette armchair.

Elena looked slightly confused. "So go do something," she prompted.

"Like what?"

"Go for a walk, or a drive, or down to the gym…_something_," Elena suggested. "C'mon Reno."

Reno nestled down comfortably in the armchair and closed his eyes. "You and Rude just want me outta the apartment so you can…"

Elena made a disapproving noise. "Ok. Yeah, that's exactly it. Buzz off, Reno."

"Umm…Nope. Gonna stay. Just got comfy."

"Please, Reno?" Elena pleaded, drawing out the "please".

Reno opened one eye. "Nope. Wanna stick around."

Elena glared fiercely. "I'm asking nicely. Get the hell out."

"That wasn't nice," Reno remarked innocently.

"Reno, you either walk out, or get thrown out. Your decision," Elena said flatly. "I was the one who suggested we ask you before throwing you in the elevator and sending you down to the parkade."

"Where do you propose I _go_?" Reno countered, getting up reluctantly and stretching. "Any thoughts?"

Elena shrugged. "I dunno. Somewhere that isn't here. Go to Stella's."

"Naw…I'm always hanging around there…I wanna go someplace else."

"So go somewhere else," Elena said, gritting her teeth. "I'll kick you if you don't go."

"I'm going! All right, all ready. Sheesh," Reno grumbled, getting up and grabbing a denim jacket from the closet and tugging it on over his t-shirt. "Have fun," he said, with the barest trace of malice.

"Aww…Reno, it's just I'm going up to Icicle tomorrow and me and Rude want some time together. If you had a girlfriend, you'd understand…"

It took Reno a career's worth of control, training, and self-restraint to keep from flinching. Increasingly, this was getting to be a very touchy subject. Despite the fact that he had numerous colleagues, a wide network of friends, and a generous portion of women who literally lusted after him, and greeted his phone calls with sheer exuberance, Reno really only had one or two true friends. The one person he'd ever felt secure in confiding in rarely had time to listen to him anymore.

"Maybe if I had a girlfriend, I wouldn't be here," Reno retorted, perhaps a little more bitterly than he'd meant to.

Something about Elena's blue eyes softened. "Oh, Reno, I'm sorry…"

"Forget it." Reno shrugged, trying to make it seem like less of a big deal. "Not your fault."

"I'll see you later?" Elena asked timidly, looking remorseful.

"Yeah. Have fun. Try not to get yourself killed." Reno forced a grin. He could always count on Elena to send a neutral mood spiraling down into a moderate state of depression.

Elena smiled. "Will do."

Reno sighed and exited the apartment, kicking at the plush carpet of the penthouse's outside hallway, leading to the private elevator with a shaft that connected to the main floor and parking lots underneath the building. He pressed the button and stepped on, hand hovering indecisively between the main floor and parkade. Finally, he pressed the button for the parkade, at the very deepest level, and reflected that maybe a drive would cheer him up.

Getting off the elevator, he took a moment to catch his balance, before proceeding quickly to his car. A few minutes and a dozen illegal maneuvers later, he was navigating the familiar streets of downtown Midgar, looking for a good bar to haunt. The signs were all well known, and he knew from experience that a lot of them were absolute dumps. He pulled to a halt at a particular intersection, resolving immediately to go no further. He had very painful memories of the alleys down the street ahead. The reality of the dingy street was among the most horrible truths he'd ever been exposed to. The true nature of the Sector Seven Incident ranked first and still made him near sick to think about, but his mother's identity was a very close second. The memory spread a hard, cold tightness through his chest, and made him feel like curling up in bed, in a dark room and shutting the world away.

Moving his hand to flick the turn signal on, Reno paused and glanced up pensively. It had been thirty years. Over a quarter of a century. Logically, he knew his mother was dead. He also realized it wasn't the thought of seeing her that kept him away, but the memories that were stirred up. And, since they were good and stirred up now anyways, what did it matter? Decisively, he gunned the engine and drove forward into the strangely darker seeming alleyway.

Reno drove down the narrow streets, slowing to a halt beside a familiar building. The outside was nearly the same, but the classic neon eyeball in the martini glass had disappeared. Instead, a sign that was literally on fire towered above the squat building, announcing the name of the "HellHole" to anybody who was lucky enough to pass by. Decisively, Reno pulled into the alleyway behind the building, and parked his car. Arming several security devices and switching the onboard computer to "Shady Neighborhood" mode, he climbed out of the car, made sure his nightstick was in his pocket, and entered the club.

The music was absolutely blaring and seemed to be coming from a loudly performing band at the front of the room. There were tables scattered throughout the sunken floor in front of the stage, and booths lining the outside of the room. The bar at the back had an absolute swarm of people crowded around, and Reno was hard pressed to find a table. Deciding he needed a drink first, he made his way over to the bar.

Shouldering past several people, he approached the bar and rapped loudly on the counter. Everyone seemed to be shouting at the top of his or her lungs to carry on conversations, and the band at the front had the aid of microphones.

"Hey!" Reno yelled at the bartender, who was miming along to the guitar solo, absolutely oblivious to the fact that he was not actually onstage. "Could I get some service?"

The man didn't look up and arched his body backward, fingers working furiously in midair, ripping up and down the fingerboard of an imaginary guitar.

Reno rapped on the bar again, getting slightly irritated. "Hey! Pay some attention!"

Still the bartender ignored him and Reno ground his teeth together in irritation. Reaching into his pocket he withdrew his nightstick, flicked it out, and gave the bartender the tiniest jolt.

"%#$!" The man bellowed at the top of his lungs and toppled over backwards, crashing into a cabinet full of bottles.

"Whoops," Reno murmured to himself, hastily slipping his weapon back into his pocket and trying to mimic the shocked silence of the rest of the bar's patrons.

"Hey, Diesel, you ok?" someone yelled, while several others clambered over the bar and got a better look at the downed bartender.

Apparently, the barkeep was actually in fairly good condition, as the next thing he did was scramble to his feet and throw a chair over the bar, hitting an innocent patron.

Reno ducked as a bottle of beer suddenly flew from somewhere on the other side of the room, and all hell generally broke loose. As is typical of a bar fight, it seemed to be something in the nature of every man for himself.

"I'm outta here," Reno muttered, dodging as a table suddenly crashed through the crowd in front of him. Fighting the instinct to take out his nightstick, he pushed through the flood of people who were headed for the door. Wincing as a miscellaneous blow struck his ribs, he grudgingly gave a bit of ground and hung back behind the crowd. Glancing around, he noticed that the gate that separated the bar from the rest of the club was open. Taking a chance on there being a back exit, Reno darted through the opening, weaving his way behind the bar and snatching a bottle of something or other on his way towards the back.

"Oh, shit," Reno grumbled, realizing he'd come to a dead end amongst various boxes and crates in some sort of storage room. Turning around, he found himself face to face with an irate, and very bloody, bartender.

"Uh…hi," Reno said awkwardly, painfully aware of the wall at his back. "Well… uh…sorry, about all that. Guess you guys get a lotta riots down here? No one's fault, really."

The response was an inarticulate grunt and the revelation of a four-inch switchblade.

"Whoa, now! That is _uncalled _for!" Reno protested. "Let's not be hasty about this!"

The man shuffled forward, switchblade in one hand, the other clenched into a meaty fist. Reno wasn't entirely sure whether he was going to be gutted or punched out and he wasn't terribly enthusiastic about finding out. Edging along the wall, he slipped a hand into his pocket, only to find it very devoid of his nightstick. "Oh…shit." Reno frantically tried to remember what Rude had told him about fist fighting and trying to calculate what his odds were against a switchblade. Silently, he cursed himself for having left his own emergency blade in the pocket of his uniform.

A slow grin spread over the man's face as he realized he had Reno unarmed and cornered. Maliciously, he flung the lid off one of the crates at his feet and plucked a bottle of gin from inside. Reno's eyes widened slightly as the bartender reared back and hurled the bottle at his head.

The projectile went wide and shattered against the wall. Nonetheless, a shard of glass sliced his cheek and gin stung in the wound. Wincing, Reno pressed his fingers against the small gash and shrunk into the corner, feeling a lot more defenseless than he had in years. "Listen, mister, I'm sorry…"

There was a snarl and the man stalked forward, switchblade still out and a bottle of gin in his other hand. Reno idly wondered whether the man intended to kill him, or merely maim him. Upon reflection, he decided that nothing good had ever come of this literal hellhole.

In a rather last ditch effort, Reno whimpered as the large man slammed the bottle of gin into the wall, dropped the vessel, grabbed him by the collar and pinned him firmly against the wall. He could smell liquor on the bartender's breath and he turned his face away from the rancid odor. Blinking, he felt something warm and wet drip into his eye and was suddenly conscious of a stinging across his forehead. Absently, he wondered when he'd gotten a cut on his forehead as thick fingers tightened about his windpipe.

The cool steel of the blade touched Reno's throat, just as he started to see stars in the growing blackness at the edge of his vision. Suddenly there was a loud crashing noise and the pressure on his throat was suddenly released. Having few other places to go, Reno promptly collapsed to the floor and felt things slide into darkness again.

--------------------------------------------

"Kid? Hey, c'mon, junior, wake up…"

Reno felt a painful stinging across his forehead and opened his eyes, blinking a few times.

"Hey, welcome back," a voice greeted him, someone grabbing his shoulder and pulling him into a sitting position. "How's your head?"

"Uh…ok, I guess," Reno answered, rubbing his eyes and glancing around. The voice belonged to a man with a formidable head of dark hair and a short goatee. The club was now virtually deserted, except for a three other people who were hanging around, sitting on tables, or on the stage. "What…ow!" Reno yelled as the man touched a damp rag to his forehead.

"Hold still," the stranger ordered. "It's just rubbing alcohol. You gotta nasty gash on your head, kiddo."

Reno sat up and realized he'd been lying in one of the booths in the main part of the club. Someone nudged his hand and he looked up to see a slender young man with his dusty brown hair in a ponytail.

"Here," the young man offered, holding out a glass.

Without hesitation, Reno accepted it and downed the contents. The liquid burned on the way down and Reno choked slightly. "Christ! You can put it on my head, but I don't _drink_ rubbing alcohol!"

"It's just some vodka, I think. Sorry. I took the first intact bottle I could find," the young man apologized.

"S'ok. Least I can't feel my head anymore," Reno answered wryly. "So who the hell are you guys?"

"Name's Davin. Call me Dave," the man with the beard announced. "This here's Pascal."

"Uh…hi. I'm Reno." Extending his hand, Reno winced slightly at Davin's bone crushing grip. "What happened?"

Davin gave him a reproving look. "Seems you were fool enough to get yourself cornered by Diesel."

Reno frowned. "I could've beat the tar outta him, if I'd been armed."

"Sure, sure," Davin laughed and Pascal smiled slightly. "To tell the truth, you remind me of someone."

"Yeah?" Reno asked, wiping at some of the dried blood on his forehead. "Who?"

Davin sighed. "Our old guitarist. Poor kid."

"What happened?" Reno asked.

"Killed. Sector Seven. He was a good guy. Ever since then, we've sorta been drifting. Ain't much good if a band doesn't have a guitarist."

Reno felt a stab of guilt and hoped his expression didn't show it. "Wow…I'm…I'm sorry."

Davin shrugged. "Things happen. You gonna be all right?"

"Yeah…what's the time?" Reno touched his fingertips lightly to his forehead again, wincing slightly.

"Oh, I dunno, two in the mornin', mebbe?" Davin supposed, glancing at Pascal.

"Quarter of two," the young man corrected quietly.

Reno sighed. "Great."

"You wanna come stay at my place?" Davin offered cordially. "Head injury, no wheels, no weapon, you're easy prey, my friend."

Reno chuckled. "Well, no weapon. But a pretty damn fine set of wheels. But I might take you up on your offer anyway. I'm in no condition to be driving around at night, that's for sure."

Davin arched an eyebrow. "Nice wheels, eh? You a racer?"

"Nope," Reno answered, well aware that a "racer" was someone who owned a nice car, and took part in the illegal drag races throughout the lower sectors of Midgar for surprisingly large amounts of money. "But I could wipe the floor with all of them, if I took a mind to."

"You're awfully smug, y'know that?" Davin remarked. "You play anything?" he added casually. "You got long fingers, you could be a guitarist."

Reno shook his head. "Nah. Never tried. Bad memories of music. Nuns. Not a good experience."

Davin laughed. "Well, whatever. My place's just a block or two away, we can walk…"

Reno shook his head firmly. "Nuh uh. And pass up the chance to show off my baby? I'll give you a ride."

"All right," Davin agreed slowly. "I thought you were in no condition to drive?"

"Well, it's not far, is it?" Reno asked brightly. "I'll give all your friends rides. C'mon."

Reno got to his feet and dug in his pocket for his keys and headed out of the bar. His car was right where he'd left it, gleaming in the moonlight and looking none the worse for having been left out in the midst of the shady side of Upper Midgar. Reno entered a quick, six digit code on the small remote starter that came with his keychain and a soft tone sounded. The car's top folded back and the dashboard lit up. "Voice recognition test. Identify," a computerized female voice ordered.

"Just me, babe. Giving a few friends a ride home," Reno answered easily, fully aware that Davin and his friends were gaping at his car and relishing every moment of it.

"Access granted. Passenger capacity?" the car questioned.

"Four," Reno answered decisively. "Five including me."

Pascal shook his head. "I'll walk, thanks."

Reno grinned and climbed into the driver's seat. "Don't trust me? Smart move. Well, I'll catch you around then. Thanks for the rubbing alcohol."

"You're welcome," Pascal smiled faintly. "And I'm sure I'll be seeing you."

"Later!" Reno called, as the young man disappeared down an alleyway. Davin climbed into the front seat, looking admiringly at the dashboard. "So who's all in my car?" Reno asked, glancing over his shoulder at the pair in the backseat.

"Nash and Jorge," Davin answered, pointing to each of the pair in turn. "Bassist and drummer."

"Yo," Jorge said simply, giving a little wave and flipping his blond ponytail over his shoulder.

"Where did you get this car?" the other demanded, brows knitting together over dark eyes.

Reno shrugged and grinned. "Picked it up somewhere. She's nice, eh?"

"Too nice," Nash said suspiciously. "You stole it, right? You musta. You can tell, man, we won't rat on ya…"

"No, she's mine. You guys might wanna buckle up," Reno advised, adjusting the rearview mirror slightly.

"S'only a few blocks," Davin shrugged. "We're fine."

Reno shrugged and turned the key in the ignition. A light on the dash flashed red. "Passengers are not properly restrained," the computer voice piped disapprovingly.

"Override," Reno answered calmly.

"The use of restraining devices reduces fatalities in car accidents by over seventy percent," the computer droned. "As the driver, you will be held responsible for…"

"Override warning," Reno repeated firmly.

Davin arched an eyebrow at the onboard computer. "She always such a bitch when you're trying to start 'er up?"

Reno laughed. "No worse than any other woman. Hold on tight." Shifting gears, Reno threw the car into reverse, at a speed that was obviously too high for the situation. Twisting the wheel as the vehicle shot backwards, he turned onto the road as the wheels bumped over the curb. There was a shriek of rubber on asphalt as Reno slammed on the brakes and a stunned silence from the convertible's passengers.

"You guys will please unclench your fingers from the genuine leather seating?" Reno asked mildly. "And take advantage of the temporary lull in motion to put on your seatbelts?"

There was a general scrambling from the backseat and Davin nearly dislocated his shoulder yanking on the shoulder strap of the seat belt in the passenger seat.

"We all nice and buckled? Good. I drive _fast._" Reno floored the gas again and the car roared through the streets. Reno took a few curves on two wheels and found a parking lot to do a couple of donuts in, before roaring back into the grid-like streets of Sector Three. "Who'm I dropping off first?" he finally asked above the noise of the engine.

"Me!" one of the backseat's occupants howled.

Reno wasn't sure which one and he wasn't about to risk turning around to check. "Mmm'k. Where?" he yelled over his shoulder.

"_Anywhere_! Here! Stop the car!"

Reno slowed down and braked next to the curb. Nash fumbled with his seatbelt and scrambled out of the car, collapsing on the sidewalk and retching.

"Motion sickness?" Reno nodded sympathetically. "You shoulda said something."

Nash didn't reply, choking back a mouthful of vomit and staggering to his feet, eyes wild.

Reno twisted around and grinned at Jorge. "Maybe you better make sure he gets home ok. Unless you really need a ride?"

Jorge was halfway out of the car as soon as he caught sight of the daredevil glint in Reno's emerald eyes and shook his head vehemently. "No, thanks all the same. See ya later, bye!"

With another laugh, Reno waved and floored the gas again. "So where d'you live?" he asked Davin casually.

The bearded man was noticeably pale and his eyes were bulging slightly. "Apartment up there," he gasped, not mincing words.

"Okey dokey." Reno took note of the pastel green Davin was turning and drove a bit more sensibly. Pulling into the parking lot, he allowed himself a stingy 450° spin before braking, removing the keys from the ignition and letting his hands drop in his lap, indicating that he was finished. "Fun, hey?" he asked, grinning at Davin.

"You are $#&$# nuts," Davin stated, getting out of the car and shutting the door.

Reno laughed again and pushed his door open. Stepping out, a wave of vertigo promptly swept over him and his knees buckled.

"Hey!" Davin hurried around to the other side of the car. "You ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, just a little dizzy," Reno muttered, hand going to his forehead and brushing the gash. Putting a hand on the side of his car, he pushed himself to his feet and leaned against the door, trying to shake off the slightly nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"You better come lie down," Davin suggested, putting a hand on Reno's shoulder. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," Reno protested, nonetheless allowing Davin to lead him over to the building. "What sorta security system d'you have here?"

Davin gave him an odd look. "Your head took quite a bashing, eh? No security, kid, unless you got a rifle in your apartment."

"Oh." Reno blinked a few times and wished the ground wouldn't tilt every time he took a step. Swallowing the taste that rose in the back of his throat he voiced another question. "There isn't an elevator, is there?"

"Nope. Stairs though," Davin confirmed.

"Stairs?" Reno echoed weakly. "I can't manage stairs at the moment."

Davin chuckled. "Then it's a good thing I live on the main floor. C'mon, Junior."

"Quit calling me that," Reno complained.

"Whatever you say, squirt," Davin agreed, pushing open the door of an apartment with the numbers on the door and crooked angles and all the remained to hint that there had ever been a brass knocker on the door were two screw holes and a slightly lighter, shield shaped spot on the door.

The apartment was dark, and at first, Reno assumed it was because Davin hadn't turned any lights on. Then a dim bulb on a wire blinked on and feebly lit the small apartment. There was a TV on a crate in the corner, with a classic coat hanger antenna. A long, low-slung couch sat in the middle of the room, doubling as a makeshift divider between the living room and a small kitchenette with a table and a few chairs. A dingy hallway led out of the main room, presumably to a bedroom and bathroom.

"Welcome to paradise," Davin said sarcastically, noticing Reno glance around the apartment. "It's a bit of a dump," he added, slightly apologetic.

"It should be condemned," Reno answered, laughing. "But I don't mind. I used to sleep in back alleys when I was a kid and roofs were scarce. Compared to that, this _is _paradise."

Davin grinned. "You can have the couch then. See ya in the morning."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks," Reno answered, settling down on the couch and stretching out comfortably. Closing his eyes, he waited a few moments for the spinning sensation to ease up, before falling asleep.

--------------------------------------------

Reno woke with a start as something hard and heavy landed square on his back. "Ow!"

"Up n' at 'em kid. It's past noon," Davin said, poking him in the ribs with a finger. "You sleep like a log, know that?"

"What…?" Reno twisted around and pushed the object off his back. Startled, he discovered it was an electric guitar.

"That's yours now," Davin informed him. "You might wanna pick up a case."

"I can't take this!" Reno protested, still holding the instrument in his hands. He didn't know too much about guitars, but he had no doubt that the instrument had been expensive. Nevertheless, he had to admit, it was a gorgeous looking piece of equipment. The body was mostly teal, mottled a darker blue and with veins of black running over the surface, giving the impression of a rare blue marble. "I can't take this," Reno repeated, holding out the guitar for Davin to take.

"Oh, yes, you can. It's yours," Davin insisted, pushing the instrument back into Reno's hands. "I lifted your wallet while you were sleeping and bought it in a little shop I know."

Reno stared blankly at Davin for a few seconds. "I can't take this," he said again, more for something to say than any real reason.

"Yes, you _can,_" Davin asserted. "You're our new guitarist, kiddo."

"But I _can't_. I've never touched a guitar in my life! I can't read music; I don't know the first thing about theory…for all I know I'm tone deaf!"

"We'll take it slow," Davin assured him. "You'll learn in no time."

Reno considered the idea for a few minutes. "It _would _give me something to do…" he said thoughtfully. "There's nothing to do when I'm not working."

Davin nodded encouragingly. "Sure. Where d'you live anyway?"

"Sector Eight," Reno answered absently, still considering the possibilities.

Davin's eyes widened. "Upper class. What's your job?"

"Wasn't it in my wallet?" Reno asked wryly.

"Paid with cash," Davin answered.

"Christ. And I had five grand in there," Reno grumbled. "Ah well. I'd just have blown it on my car…" Reno's eyes suddenly widened. "Which I didn't _lock _last night!"

Davin winced. "That's a bad thing in this neighborhood, kid."

"Shit. I hope it hasn't killed anyone." Reno laid the guitar aside for the moment and got to his feet, hurrying out of the apartment to the parking lot. His car was still there, perfectly intact and gleaming in the afternoon sun, but there were three figures sprawled on the ground, groaning or not moving.

Reno clapped a hand to his forehead and shook his head. "Dammit. I'd expected as much."

"What happened?" Davin questioned, coming up behind him and staring at the bodies on the ground.

"Security system," Reno sighed and approached his car, pausing to kick one of the men out of the way. They were quite obviously thieves, all dressed in dark clothes, faces concealed with ski masks. Halting a few feet from the car he dug his keys out and punched in a key code.

There was a beeping as the car came to life. "Voice recognition test. Identify."

"Confirm," Reno answered absently, looking over the car.

"Access granted. Recent theft attempt," the synthesized voice announced.

"Damage?" Reno inquired, kneeling down and peering beneath the car.

"None." It might have been Reno's imagination, but he thought he heard a bit of a smug note about the computer's tone.

"What did it do?" Davin asked, bending over one of the unconscious thieves.

Reno shrugged. "Couldn't tell ya. Never been around to see what she does, and don't particularly care to test."

"Hmm. Well, we gotta put you to work, kid. Where'd you say you lived?"

"Sector Eight," Reno answered, absently running his hand along the side of the car.

Davin nodded. "Ok. Go home and get some cash and some clothes. Whatever you need to stay over at my place for a few weeks."

Reno arched an eyebrow. "A few weeks?"

"Mmm hmm. See you later. Oh! And _don't _leave without your guitar. Bring it home and put it somewhere," Davin ordered. "I'll go get it."

"Aren't I going to need it?" Reno questioned, climbing into his car and idly flipping through the radio stations.

"We're starting you on an acoustic," Davin answered, leaning over and fiddling with the dials on the radio. He cycled through several channels before finding what he was looking for. Loud, rhythmic music blasted from the cars four speakers. "You don't touch that dial from now on. You need to get a feel for the style," Davin instructed. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

Davin turned and hurried into the building. Reno reached out and adjusted the volume slightly, deciding that this could take a bit of getting used to, but not in a bad way.

The older man returned and deposited Reno's guitar in the backseat. "Now you come back," he said sternly. "I'm countin' on ya."

"I'll come back," Reno promised, revving the engine. "See ya later."

--------------------------------------------

"Where the hell have you _been_?" Rude demanded when Reno sauntered into the apartment, hands in the pockets of his jeans and guitar slung across his back.

"Around," Reno answered nonchalantly, waving a hand in what he thought was the general direction of Sector Three, but was really closer to Junon.

Rude scowled. "I wish you'd _said _something about planning to disappear for two days."

"You could've called," Reno protested mildly, meandering over to the kitchen to get some food. "D'y'know if we have anything to eat?"

Rude followed him into the kitchen, still glowering. "You left your damn phone."

Reno pulled a half-finished box of Wutain takeout from the fridge and bent down, looking for a bottle of something or other to drink. "Well, sorry. But I'm a big boy, Rude, I can take care of myself. Quit being such a tight ass."

Rude gave him a final glare and sighed. "Reno, what is that?" he asked, sounding exasperated.

"Mmm? Oh, I dunno. Rice…I think that bit there might be chicken…some green stuff…brown stuff…more green stuff." Reno poked in the box with a chopstick and sniffed it appraisingly. "Why? Been in here for a while?"

"Reno, I mean _that_," Rude answered, pointing over his partner's shoulder.

"What?" Reno turned around at looked at the empty kitchen behind him. Pivoting, he turned back to Rude and arched an eyebrow. "Have you been seeing purple bunnies on the ceiling again?"

Rude reached out and gave an impatient tug on the neck of the guitar slung over his partner's shoulder.

"Oh, _that_?" Reno laughed. "Nothing worth mentioning."

Rude's eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "Where'd you get it?"

Reno shrugged. "Picked it up somewhere or other. We got anything to drink?"

"What do you intend to _do _with it?" Rude demanded.

Reno sighed, getting slightly irritated in his turn. "I was thinking about using it as a new weapon. Club people with it, y'know?"

"As long as you don't intend to _play _it."

Reno winced, remembering his partner's absolute loathing of any music that wasn't classical or new age. "Maybe," he said slowly. "I have to learn to play it first."

Rude nodded, appearing slightly satisfied.

Reno wandered over his room and grabbed a backpack from the closet, stuffing a few clothes in. "But I gotta get outta here," Reno yelled over his shoulder and continued packing. His other nightstick, cell phone, and CD player followed the clothing, mostly jeans and t-shirts. "I'll see ya in a couple weeks."

"_Weeks?_" Rude echoed, standing in the doorway of his partner's room. "Reno, where are you _going_?"

Reno shrugged and grabbed his backpack by the handle. "Somewhere over there," he answered, waving his hand absently in the direction he thought Sector Three was.In reality he was pointing in the general direction of Kalm.

"Why?"

"Well, I gotta learn to play the damn thing, don't I?"

Rude gritted his teeth. "Not as long as you're living here, you don't."

Reno rolled his eyes and opened the door. "Whatever. I gotta go. See ya later."

"Elena isn't back."

"How is that my fault?" Reno asked, asserting some of the bitterness he felt about his friend always neglecting him.

Rude glared at him. "I thought you might care."

Reno shrugged. "Elena can take care of herself. I really gotta go."

"No, she can't," Rude sighed.

"Whatever. See ya," Reno slipped out of the apartment, trying to shake off some of the foreboding he felt.

--------------------------------------------

"Dav?" Reno asked wearily. "Can we quit? My fingers are bleeding."

The older man grinned. "Nope. Sorry. Give me another G7."

Reno complied and played the chord, despite the fact that his fingers slipped on the strings and left them stained with rust colored blood. The acoustic guitar certainly didn't look too much worse for it. It was a beat up old instrument, which Reno suspected had been excavated from a dump and he absolutely loathed it.

"A, C, D7, E minor, F major, B minor 7 …" Davin rattled off a list of chords, expecting Reno to keep up.

Reno scowled and played the chords perfectly, wondering why his fingers were still bleeding after a week of solid practice. Literally, he played guitar from the minute he woke up until Davin finally decided that his pupil would pass out if he didn't get a few hours sleep. "Can I learn something else soon?"

Davin chuckled. "If you think this is hard, wait until we get you started playing lead."

With a sigh Reno rubbed his eyes, forgetting the blood on his fingers. Exasperated, he wiped the back of his hand across his cheek. "Can we take a break, then?"

"Sure, kid, sure," Davin agreed. "Wanna go get food?"

"Yes," Reno agreed, shifting his guitar to the side. "Food would be a definite good thing. Where're we gonna go?"

"Pascal usually has food. We'll head over to his place and scrounge up what we can. C'mon."

Getting languidly to his feet, Reno stretched and followed Davin out of the apartment, blinking in the sunlight. "What's the date today?"


End file.
